Ndamukong Suh isn’t your typical NFL player. On the field, he stands out as a tremendous athlete at 6-foot-4, 305 pounds. However, off the field, his business acumen sets him apart from the majority of players.

He’s friends with Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the richest people in the world. He has interests in the restaurant industry and wants to get into real estate when his NFL career is over. He’s very much in control of his finances, too, weighing every factor in free agency.

He discussed all of these topics on Bloomberg’s “Business of Sports” podcast recently, saying he weighs things like the number of away games a prospective team plays in states with no income tax, allowing him to save money by claiming income in those states.

For the Rams last season, they played in Seattle and Arizona, which have no state income tax and a very low rate, respectively. So while Suh only got about half of his $14 million contract, he was able to save some money because the Rams played games in Washington and Arizona.

“Net to me is usually around $7 or $8 (million). Being able to have great CPAs and be able to have the opportunity that I got that over the course of the year,” Suh said. “And as I mentioned, W-2s, I was able to use other cities. So we played Seattle, which is a great state to get taxed out of because they have no state income tax. And then to be able to use Arizona, which is about 4 percent.

“Miami was great to me, to be honest with you, because there was no income state tax.”

Suh said he continues to lean on Buffett from time to time for advice and says he’s always just a phone call away.

“All you have to do is pick up the phone and he’s always there to answer. I’ve learned a handful of things from him and continue to do so,” he added.

With Suh being toward the end of his career and having made as much money as he has in the NFL, he’s beginning to put aside some of the financial downsides in order to better himself as a business person. He was asked if he weighs things like a potential team’s away schedule and the taxes in each state, to which he had this to say.

“Yeah, for sure. It’s always been a calculation ever since I became a free agent in 2014-2015,” he said. “(It was) something I considered but as I get into football and being a little bit of an elder-ish man, some of those things get thrown out a little bit because as Mr. Warren Buffett has always said, there’s intrinsic value in certain cities.”

That came into play last offseason when he signed with the Rams where taxes are extremely high in California. He gained other benefits off the field by building connections with the likes of Magic Johnson and Mandalay Entertainment Chairman Peter Guber, who has investments in the Warriors, Lakers and Los Angeles FC.

“So, even though L.A. and the state of California is very high in taxes, there’s a lot of intrinsic value in that particular state that I’ve enjoyed and been able to lean on. So from mentors to great opportunities to connect to people,” he said. “Being able to just connect with people like that and other businessmen is some of that intrinsic value that I say I’ll take a hit in taxes to be able to have the opportunity to be close to those people.”

That’s not to say Buffett influences Suh’s decision to sign with the Rams, but his business advice certainly seems to play a role in many of the defensive tackle’s choices financially. Having a billionaire on speed dial is never a bad thing, either.