It’s time to right one of the greatest wrongs in Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals history.
Bring Terrell Suggs to the desert.
After 16 Hall of Fame years with the Ravens, Suggs is about to hit free agency. The Ravens are likely to make every effort to re-sign him but if there’s an opportunity for the Cardinals to jump in, they should pounce..
Back in 2003, the Arizona Cardinals were sitting at #6 in the NFL Draft when they decided instead of drafting hometown stud Terrell Suggs they would rather trade down with the New Orleans Saints for the #17 and #18 picks of the draft.
They used those two picks to take WR Bryant Johnson and OLB Calvin Pace. Johnson had a below average 5 year run with the team, never topping more than 740 yards in a single season. Pace had 14 sacks for the Cardinals in 5 years before going on to be a productive pass rusher over 8 years with the New York Jets.
Suggs? T-Sizzle is currently the 13th most prolific sack artist in NFL history with 132.5 sacks and after Julius Peppers retirement currently has the most sacks of any active player in the league. He also has won DROY, DPOY, is a 2 time All Pro, 7 time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl Champion.
Since the Cardinals moved to Arizona, the franchise leader in sacks is Calais Campbell’s 56.5.
Kind of a big whiff on someone who was in your backyard.
Suggs wouldn’t just be a nostalgic signing, he’d also be a strategic one.
The Cardinals pass rushing depth after Chandler Jones is non-existent. Robert Nkemdiche and Rodney Gunter were tied for second in sacks last year on the team with 4.5. With Markus Golden an impending free agent, Hasson Reddick is only other pass rusher on the roster fit for the 3-4 and by the time you finish reading this, Reddick may have changed positions again.
Last year at age 36, Suggs played 71% of the Ravens defensive snaps and had 7 sacks. Suggs can still get it done as a pass rusher and along with Brooks Reed would give the Cardinals some much needed extra juice in the locker room. Another plus? Siuggs is exactly the the kind of player that would be a positive influence on whichever defensive player the Cardinals presumably take at #1.
After starring at Hamilton High in Chandler, dominating at ASU as an All American and going on to a Hall of Fame career with the Ravens, it’s time for the Cardinals to do the right thing and bring Suggs home.