Free agent Suh cancels meeting with Raiders
Free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh did not meet with the Raiders on Wednesday, as scheduled.
Suh was expected to visit the Raiders on a free-agent tour that had included the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans, according to ESPN and other outlets.
The Rams were his last visit in Tuesday in Thousand Oaks. ESPN reported Suh spent the day watching film with coaches. At some point Suh decided to fly home to Portland without stopping in Alameda.
The Raiders are anywhere from $5 to $10 million under the salary cap and would possibly need to release players or restructure deals with existing contracts to accommodate Suh, 31, who spent the last three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, with
whom he had 14.5 sackes in 44 games. He was scheduled to make $26 million in 2018 but was instead released by the Dolphins.
When Suh was a free agent in 2015, he joined Miami, with the Raiders being one of his suitors.
It’s not known whether Suh is seeking another longterm deal or will accept a one-year offer with incentives in order to get back into free agency next year.
• Linebacker Emmanuel Lamur became the sixth defensive unrestricted free agent added to roster this offseason. Lamur played the past two seasons for Minnesota as a backup linebacker and special teams player.
A six-year veteran, Lamur played his first three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals under defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who now holds that position on Jon Gruden’s staff. He spent the 2013 season on injured reserve and did not play.
Lamur (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) got his most significant playing time in 2014, starting 13 times in 14 games with 91 tackles, seven passes defensed and two interceptions.
Since free agency opened, Lamur is the third linebacker added to the roster, joining Tahir Whitehead and Kyle Wilbur. Also signed have been cornerbacks Rashaan Melvin and Shareece Wright and safety Marcus Gilchrist.
Still on the market as an unrestricted free agent is linebacker NaVorro Bowman. WOODSON UNLOADS ON GRUDEN >> Rod Woodson isn’t happy with Gruden, or some of the things he’s doing. The Hall of Fame defensive back, who was swept out with the rest of Jack Del Rio’s coaching staff, is especially not a fan of the Jordy Nelson-Michael Crabtree swap.
Woodson was a guest on the FS1 show “Undisputed,” and he didn’t hold back regarding his former employer:
“I don’t want to sound like a scorned lover because I was fired by the Raiders,” he said. “I love Mark Davis, I love the Davis family. But you can’t tell me you got rid of Michael Crabtree, you put Jordy Nelson in there, and Jordy Nelson is better than Michael Crabtree. That’s a lie. And, I love Derek Carr. Derek Carr is not Aaron Rodgers. That’s completely different. You can’t tell me you bring in Doug Martin and they’re a better football team.
“Crabtree was the glue to that offense. He gave them a backbone. He gave them toughness. Jordy Nelson is not going to give them that. Derek Carr is not going to give them that. Now Marshawn Lynch, he could give them that, if he’s there, if he’s playing, I don’t know what’s with that.”
As for Gruden specifically, Woodson said Gruden was “wonderful on his TV gig, did some wonderful things as a coach, but he only won 53 (actually 54) percent of his games. Ten years, $100 million. I hope Mark Davis has an out. My question would be, how many Super Bowls do you have to win for $100 million? You give that deal to Bill Belichick. But to a Jon Gruden? It’s hard for me to understand.”
Woodson also said Gruden never took the Raiders to an AFC championship game, which is not correct. In fact, Woodson was on the Baltimore Ravens team that beat the Raiders 16-3 in the 2000 AFC Championship game.
Woodson finished his career with the Raiders, joining them in 2002 not long after Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay. That season, Woodson at age 37 had one of his biggest seasons with eight interceptions. The Raiders went on to win the AFC championship but were beaten 48-21 by Gruden’s Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.
“He (Gruden) said he’s going to take them back to 1998? Good luck with that,” Woodson said. “These guys are millennials. Millennials work, but they only can work so hard. So it’s a little different out there nowadays. Maybe he is that guy. Maybe he will turn it around. Maybe the second time around or the third time around is a charm for him and coming back the second time around with the Raiders.”