Getty Ndamukong Suh.
It’s the slow point of the offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders but fans were struck with some excitement when Ndamukong Suh said playing for the team would be “cool.” Though the team has already made a lot of big moves this offseason, fans have always liked the idea of Suh in silver and black. It appears he likes the idea, as well.
Tyler Dragon of USA Today reported that there was “mutual interest” between both sides but that might not be the case. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders don’t plan on signing Suh right now.
“The sense is the Raiders aren’t as keen on the idea as Suh is, at least at the moment,” Bonsignore wrote. “That is always subject to change depending on how the Raiders assess their defensive line needs ahead of training camp. And money always plays a role. But for now, it appears the interest is not mutual.”
Bonsignore has been on this for a while now and he has yet to be proven wrong. He isn’t the only one reporting on the Raiders’ lack of interest. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson also says that Las Vegas isn’t “in pursuit” of the former No. 2 overall pick.
While the market will continue to crystallize for Ndamukong Suh’s services as the season draws near, I’m told the #Raiders are not currently in pursuit, per league source.
Suh can provide value to any number of NFL defenses.
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Any Chance Suh Could Still End up With Raiders?
Bonsignore did note that it’s possible that things could change in regards to possible interest in Suh. Last offseason, the team waited until training camp to sign Gerald McCoy, who has a similar pedigree to that of Suh. As of right now, it doesn’t appear Suh will be a Raider.
Las Vegas has done a lot of work revamping the defensive line this offseason. Though nobody currently on the roster has the interior pass rushing skills of Suh, they do have some young pieces who they can develop. Adding a player like Suh could take away from that development. However, if the Raiders get to training camp and realize that they need more of an interior pass rushing presence, then the door could reopen for a Suh signing.
Matthew Butler Could Be Steal for Raiders
A reason the Raiders might not be looking at Suh right now is due to a player they found in the fifth round of the recent NFL Draft. Matthew Butler spent five years as a defensive lineman at Tennessee and started 25 games. He’s already 23 years old so he might have limited upside but he could be ready to make an impact in the NFL from Day One. Butler was a participant in the East-West Shrine Game prior to getting drafted. Executive director Eric Galko was very impressed with what he saw from the defensive lineman.
“He was one of the most dominant defensive linemen all week at the Shrine game and we had several who ended up being drafted,“ Galko told Silver and Black Pride. “He went from being a late-draft prospect to being a solid top-five round pick … I know the Raiders talked to him a lot and really liked what they saw.”
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