If Gerald McCoy is looking for 15 million a season, what will Ndamukong Suh demand?
Today Rick Stroud of Tampa Tribune, reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have in fact reached out to Gerald McCoy’s camp to begin moving the ball for a new contract. The Tampa Bay Bucs refused to pick up the 5th year option for McCoy because they wanted to work out a long term deal.
GM Jason Licht contacted McCoy’s agent, Ben Dogra, to initiate conversations that could result in an agreement before training camp, although there is no real timetable.
McCoy, a two-time Pro Bowl player who has established himself as one of the premier defensive tackles in the league, will earn about $15 million this season as he enters the final year of his contract and a new deal would be structured to give the team some salary cap relief.
While the Bucs might be able to work out a deal for McCoy, they might have to wait until Ndamukong Suh and the Detroit Lions finish their contract extension. This way they have more leverage to get what they are looking for. Since McCoy is a two time Pro-Bowler, he could demand a pretty good penny. The bigger question is if McCoy lands a deal worth 15 million a year, what will someone like Suh demand?
The Bengals really opened the door on these defensive tackles getting paid when they handed Geno Atkins signed a five-year, $55 million extension. The crazy thing is that Ben Dogra once represented Suh and McCoy, but Suh has since fired Dogra and hired Jimmy Sexton. I would expect Suh to land the bigger contract, but who knows what a team is willing to spend for a top tier defensive tackle?
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