Terrell Suggs has been with the Ravens ever since they drafted him in the first round of the 2003 draft out of Arizona State, but he has surprisingly decided to take his Hall-of-Fame talents elsewhere for the upcoming season. Fittingly, it's looking like he'll wind up back in Arizona.
According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, Suggs told the Ravens on Monday he plans to leave in free agency and that Suggs' teammates named Arizona as a possible destination. Not long after, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the expectation is that he'll sign with the Cardinals.
Terrell Suggs informed the Ravens he will be moving on to another club. Some of his teammates have mentioned Arizona as a possible landing spot
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 11, 2019
Source: The #AZCardinals are expected to sign former #Ravens pass-rusher Terrell Suggs. Back home where he went to college.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2019
With the Ravens for 16 seasons, Suggs racked up 132.5 sacks -- a total that doesn't include his 12.5 sacks in the playoffs. He ranks first in career sacks in Ravens history. He's been to seven Pro Bowls. He was named First Team All-Pro in 2011. He's tied for 13th on the all-time sacks leaderboard. He's one of the Ravens' all-time greats and a future Hall of Famer.
It's somewhat surprising that the Ravens and Suggs, both whom are in win-now mode, aren't staying together for another season. The Ravens' defense finished last season ranked first in yards allowed, second in points allowed, and third in DVOA. The expectation was that they'd tried to keep as much of that defense as possible intact. Instead, the Ravens cut safety Eric Weddle, said goodbye to Suggs, and might not be able to retain linebacker C.J. Mosley, who should command big-time money in free agency.
If the Cardinals do acquire Suggs, they'll be gaining a reliable source of sacks to pair with Chandler Jones and his typically explosive output. Suggs, 36, is coming off a seven-sack season. Since losing nearly the entire 2015 season to a torn Achilles, Suggs has averaged almost nine sacks per season.
The acquisition shouldn't prevent the Cardinals from drafting an edge rusher like Nick Bosa with the top-overall pick. But if the Cardinals do end up taking quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall, which has been rumored ever since they hired Kliff Kingsbury as their new coach, Suggs' signing will take on even more importance.
