Rookie DT Suh agrees to $68M deal has 0 comments

Aug 4th 2010, 11:20 | FFN-Score: 37 points

Ndamukong Suh, the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions on Tuesday, giving one of the NFL's worst defenses a big boost up front.

Suh, a defensive tackle out of Nebraska, received a five-year deal worth $68 million, with $40 million guaranteed, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

"Thanks to everyone that stuck by me and wished me the best, Looking forward to finally be in camp with my teammates!!! Stayed tuned!!" Suh wrote on his Twitter page.

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Both sides were working on the language of the deal, and it was expected to be done by Wednesday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were confidential.

Lions spokesman Bill Keenist said Tuesday night that the team had nothing to announce or confirm.

The Lions hope Suh can help bolster a defense that has ranked among the league's all-time worst in points allowed the past two seasons. Detroit won two games last season after becoming the first team in league history to go 0-16.

Suh, who's 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, was the first defensive player to win The AP College Football Player of the Year award since its inception in 1998. He had 4.5 sacks against Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game and finished the season with 12.

Suh, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was the first defensive tackle to be drafted among the top two picks since the Oakland Raiders took Darrell Russell in 1997.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.