terrell suggs
The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a six-year contract with Terrell Suggs, their standout defensive end and outside linebacker, the team has announced.
The deal is worth approximately $63 million, according to several reports.
The agreement comes just before today's deadline for NFL teams to sign their franchise players to longterm contracts.
The 26-year-old Suggs is one of the sport's top pass-rushers. He had 12 sacks last season and has 53 sacks in his six seasons with the Ravens.
"Getting a deal done with Terrell is consistent with our history of retaining our best Pro Bowl players, like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jonathan Ogden, Todd Heap and Jamal Lewis," General Manager Ozzie Newsome said in a written statement released by the Ravens. "Securing Terrell for six seasons gives us a premier pass-rusher whose ability to stop the run does not get enough credit."
The agreement was completed late Tuesday night, according to the team.
The Ravens placed their franchise player tag on Suggs in February, entitling him to a salary of $10.17 million this season if he'd signed his one-year franchise player deal.
"I am glad it is over, and now we can get back to football," Suggs said, according to a written announcement by the Ravens. "Getting this done took compromises on both ends. I wanted to stay in purple and black, the Ravens wanted to keep me in purple in black, and they stepped up and showed me that. This means a lot to me and my family. Now I can be a Raven for the better part of my career."
Said Ravens Coach John Harbaugh, according to the team's written release: "This is such good news. I was already excited to start training camp, and now having Terrell there makes it that much better. He is a great player, a tremendous person and an outstanding young leader. You guys know that he energizes our practices. He brings that vitality to the game, and he makes the locker room fun. He's a foundation for our defense to stay at the highest level. Having him in training camp will take him to higher levels."
Suggs is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a former NFL defensive rookie of the year. He's never missed a game in his six NFL seasons.
