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If defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh agrees to an extension with the Detroit Lions, it will likely keep him as the highest-paid player at his position.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

Although talks have moved at a glacial pace, the Detroit Lions remain hopeful they'll be able to sign Ndamukong Suh to a long-term extension this offseason.

Based on multiple factors, including the anticipated growth of salary cap, Suh's career production, his durability, and the leverage he holds in the negotiations, the All-Pro defensive tackle should have no issues maintaining his spot as the game's highest-paid player at his position.

Facing a deadline, Suh's agent, Jimmy Sexton, wrapped up negotiations on a contract for New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham on Tuesday. That should now free up Sexton to concentrate on Suh's extension.

But just how much will it take for Detroit to lock up its superstar defensive tackle? Based on our estimations, any deal will likely start around $12 million per season.

Suh is entering the final year of the richest contract ever paid to a defensive tackle. Over his first five seasons, after hitting a number of performance bonuses, he will have earned more than $64 million.

Tampa Bay's Gerald McCoy, taken one spot after Suh in the 2010 draft, will earn $55 million over the same five-year stretch. McCoy is also in the process of negotiating a long-term extension.

Two players have set the bar for Suh and McCoy's negotiations. The Cincinnati Bengals awarded All-Pro Geno Atkins with a five-year, $54.8 million contract in September and Haloti Ngata signed a five-year, $61 million pact with Baltimore in 2011.

The guaranteed money included in those two deals are notably different. Atkins received a $15 million signing bonus, with no other guarantees. Ngata's contract included a $25 million bonus and was structured in a way where he'll pocket more than $48 million before the Ravens would consider parting ways with him in 2015, the final year of the deal.

If Suh is interested in signing with the Lions for another five years, both the overall and annual value of the deal should exceed the numbers committed to Atkins and Ngata. Suh's guarantees would also likely exceed those of Ngata's.

Below is our projected breakdown of a five-year contract for Suh. The overall value of the contract would be $63 million over five seasons with a $27.5 million signing bonus, spread evenly over the five years of the contract.

Year Base Bonus Cap number Dead 2015 $2,000,000 $5,500,000 $16,875,000.00* $37,237,500 2016 $9,000,000 $5,500,000 $14,500,000.00 $22,000,000 2017 $11,000,000 $5,500,000 $16,500,000.00 $16,500,000 2018 $6,000,000 $5,500,000 $11,500,000.00 $11,000,000 2019 $7,500,000 $5,500,000 $13,000,000.00 $5,500,000 Totals $35,500,000 $27,500,000

The base salary in the first year would be low, conceivably even lower than the $2 million in our projection. This is to compensate for the $9.7 million* in dead money Suh carries into 2015 from his current contract.

The base salaries would rise sharply in 2016 and 2017. Even so, the cap numbers would come in well below the hits for quarterback Matthew Stafford ($22.5 million in 2016 and $22 million in 2017) and wide receiver Calvin Johnson ($24 million in 2016 and $20.4 million in 2017) for the same seasons.

The 2018 salary dips conveniently to the point where Suh's cap number and dead money are nearly even, essentially eliminating the possibility of being cut. Typically this would be difficult to negotiate, but this is where Suh's leverage comes into play.

The final year, as is with most NFL contracts, is a throwaway. The only number that matters is the dead money. If Suh is still playing at a high level at that stage of his career, the Lions could allow him to play out the deal, similar to what the Minnesota Vikings did with Jared Allen last year.

If Detroit wants to move on in 2019, the only dead money would be the prorated portion of the signing bonus (assuming the sides don't restructure for the duration of the contract).

There's no one way to structure an NFL contract. The Lions could opt for a smaller signing bonus while guaranteeing all or part of the base salaries through 2017. Suh could also opt for a shorter deal, similar to Stafford's three-year extension, so he could negotiate one more big deal at the age of 30.

But the basic principle remains the same: Suh will be one of, if not the highest-paid defensive tackle, annually, when he signs his next contract. This is just our view on how the contract might look if an agreement is reached.

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