Birkett: Lions should use franchise tag on Ndamukong Suh

It's an obscene amount of money, almost Roger Goodell-like, and when you suggest giving it to a defensive lineman, even one as good as Ndamukong Suh, most pundits and others across the NFL shake their head in disbelief.

"I just don't think you can do it. I just think it's too significant of a number," former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik said.

"I'm not holding my breath on that one," said former agent and current cap analyst Joel Corry.

"That does seem absurd," said ex-Washington executive Vinny Cerrato.

It may be absurd, but with contract talks dragging into their 52nd week, the Lions' best option to ensure their place as a playoff contender now and in the near future is to use the franchise tag on Suh at the whopping cost of $26.9 million, assuming, of course, they can't reach agreement on a long-term deal by 4 p.m. Monday.

That would be an unprecedented decision, paying Suh quarterback-and-a-half money for one season of work (albeit with the intention of still signing him to a multi-year deal).

But for a Lions team coming off its second best season of the Super Bowl era, the only thing worse than smashing the pay scale is letting your best player go and getting nothing but a 2016 compensatory pick in return.

Suh and the Lions have been in contract negotiations for about a year now, and the Lions have insisted publicly for most of that time that they expect a deal to get done.

At the combine last year, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said something could happen by the start of free agency, and when Suh slow-played picking a new agent, Lions' brass said they were confident a deal was coming by summer.

In July, the Lions halted contract talks before training camp in order to "focus on the season," but added "the formula for getting the guy signed" was in place.

Lions president Tom Lewand doubled down before the Super Bowl last month, saying chances were "very, very good" that a deal gets done "in the next few weeks."

Well, a few weeks have passed, and with nothing to show for their talk and no guarantee they can sign Suh before free agency begins March 10, the Lions, whose off-season plans have so far been in limbo, need to regain control of their roster and lock Suh up for 2015.

There are plenty of arguments against using the tag, the exclusive version of which would forbid the three-time All-Pro from negotiating with other teams. And some of them are hard to dispute.

No one player, especially a defensive tackle, is worth nearly 20% of this year's $143-million salary cap. The Lions do have more holes than just the interior of their defensive line. (Think cornerback and offensive line.) And applying the tag would effectively limit what else they can do in free agency.

But it's not like the Lions will be big free-agent players if they sign Suh to a long-term deal in lieu of the tag, and using the tag won't destroy future years' salary caps or deplete the roster as much as some might think.

As of today, the Lions stand about $19 million under the cap, with a rookie class ($4.5-$5 million) and George Johnson's tender ($1.5-$2.5 million) still to account for.

Doing a simple restructure of Calvin Johnson's contract creates $9.3 million in cap room, doing the same with Matthew Stafford's deal frees up another $5.75 million in space, and the Lions can tap Golden Tate's deal or make a few minor roster moves (cutting Ryan Broyles saves nearly $900,000, for instance) for whatever other off-season moves they have to make.

They won't be able to re-sign Nick Fairley and won't be able to afford a high-level replacement. But the Lions' other free-agent starters — Rashean Mathis, C.J. Mosley, Rob Sims and Dominic Raiola — are minimum salary benefit types or not in the plans anyway.

Suh is not the best defensive lineman in the NFL. That's J.J. Watt by a clear margin.

But he's a rare breed of player who can stop the run, rush the passer, command double teams, and whose mere presence affects every play.

Beyond that, the Lions are coming off an 11-5 season and confident they're trending up. They have a young nucleus of players in Stafford, Ziggy Ansah and Darius Slay, and last year they had one of the best defenses in the NFL.

It may go against conventional wisdom to franchise Suh, and if the Lions are willing to spend $26.9 million on a tag, they should be able to find a way to get a long-term deal done.

But the way they've built their team, around three cornerstone pieces and by constantly restructuring deals to push cap dollars into future years (the self-inflicted reason Suh's tag is so high to begin with), puts them in win-now mode.

And that means, in a market where Suh holds all the power, using the franchise tag to keep him in Detroit.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Explaining tag

The Lions have until 4 p.m. Monday to designate Ndamukong Suh a franchise or transition player, or let him approach next weekend's free-agent negotiating period unencumbered. Here are their three tagging options, each of which comes with a $26.9 million price tag:

Exclusive franchise tag

Compensation: N/A

What it is: A one-year tender offer that becomes fully guaranteed upon signing and prevents Suh from negotiating with other teams in free agency. Even if Suh signs the tender, he and the Lions would have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.

Non-exclusive franchise tag

Compensation: 2 first-round picks

What it is: A one-year tender offer that becomes fully guaranteed upon signing but allows other teams to negotiate with Suh. The Lions would have the right to match any offer Suh receives or get two first-round draft picks as compensation.

Transition tag

Compensation: None

What it is: A one-year tender offer that becomes fully guaranteed upon signing and allows other teams to negotiate with Suh. The Lions would have the right to match any offer, but unlike the franchise tag they would not receive any compensation if Suh leaves in free agency.