PHOENIX -- Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will be the most coveted player on the market if he's allowed to test free agency next month, and there's only player who might be able to challenge him for that title.
Darrelle Revis.
Revis just won his first Super Bowl championship with the New England Patriots, and while he's not technically scheduled to be a free agent in March, his contract is structured in a way that it could happen.
Revis, who turns 30 in July, said at the Super Bowl last week that he's comfortable playing on one-year deals as he has, essentially, the last three seasons, with the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patriots.
A four-time first-team all-pro, Revis is due a $12.5-million roster bonus next month that the Patriots are expected to decline (thus avoiding a $25-million salary cap hit).
New England and several other teams are expected to make Revis a top priority this off-season, so we used the Super Bowl last week as an opportunity to pose the question to several players and analysts across the league: If you could sign Suh or Revis in free agency this off-season, whom would you pick and why?
Here are the lucky seven opinions we got:
Whom would you rather have?
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• Ross Tucker, former NFL offensive lineman and SiriusXM NFL Radio analyst: "Suh, because he's younger, and I think that a defensive tackle has more of an impact on every play than a corner. But I will tell you that I remember asking Mike Pettine that question when he was the D-coordinator for the Jets and I said, Revis or DeMarcus Ware, if you're starting a team, which guy? And this was, like, 2012, when DeMarcus Ware was the best rusher. He thought about it and he said Revis because Revis, essentially, in his mind, gives you an extra guy on the field because when you're playing against, let's say, Detroit, you don't have to have safety help over the top, because Revis can take him away. Every other team, or most teams have to have that safety over the top. So in his mind, he felt like the corner gave him an extra defender."
• Brian Baldinger, former NFL OL and NFL Network analyst: "Revis. I mean, he's like the ultimate professional. He just changes the game. You got a big X receiver, you got an A.J. Green, you got a Kelvin Benjamin, you've got one guy that's going to eliminate him from the game. He gives your defense built-in flexibility, and he's a total pro and he's still got great game left."
• Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens RB: "I'll take Suh. Trenches. The game is won in the trenches, so you need big guys up there. Strong, tough, physical guys, and if I got to choose between those two, I'll take Suh."
• Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers WR: "Darrelle Revis. Shutdown corner, man. Those guys are a premium in this league."
• Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders LB: "That's tough, man. That's a tough question. That's a tough question. But you want to be able to stop the run. You want to be able to stop the run in this league, and then in order to do that, you need some interior linemen that can penetrate. Not saying that we don't, but yeah, you got to get the big fella (Suh)."
• Kirk Morrison, former NFL LB and SiriusXM Radio analyst: "Wow. Both can't go wrong. Ummm … I got to go Darrelle Revis. Got to go Darrelle Revis. I feel that defensive line, yes, dominance, but I think you can get enough capable guys to rotate in. You can't get capable corners. You can't get lockdown corners like Darrelle Revis. They're just not on the market. You can't buy them. 'Cause, if you think about, all the premier corners in the NFL, what happens to them? All their teams lock them up. They don't hit free agency. When a team knows what they got, they don't let him go. And I don't think New England lets him go. He's changed their defense."
• Lincoln Kennedy, former NFL OL and FoxSports Radio analyst: "Ndamukong Suh, most definitely. You start in the trenches, there's no doubt about it. You sure-fire the trenches. It's hard for people to block him. He's a tremendous player and he has a tremendous work ethic, which I think will add to your locker room, so I would definitely start with Ndamukong."
Final tally: Suh 4, Revis 3. For good measure, we ran the question by Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, too. An analyst for Westwood One and a former Raider, Woodson had the best solution of all, at least for his old team.
"Ohhh," he said, mulling the question. 'Well, if I had $70 million like the Raiders, I'd take both of them."
Darrelle Revis.
Revis just won his first Super Bowl championship with the New England Patriots, and while he's not technically scheduled to be a free agent in March, his contract is structured in a way that it could happen.
Revis, who turns 30 in July, said at the Super Bowl last week that he's comfortable playing on one-year deals as he has, essentially, the last three seasons, with the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patriots.
A four-time first-team all-pro, Revis is due a $12.5-million roster bonus next month that the Patriots are expected to decline (thus avoiding a $25-million salary cap hit).
New England and several other teams are expected to make Revis a top priority this off-season, so we used the Super Bowl last week as an opportunity to pose the question to several players and analysts across the league: If you could sign Suh or Revis in free agency this off-season, whom would you pick and why?
Here are the lucky seven opinions we got:
Whom would you rather have?
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• Ross Tucker, former NFL offensive lineman and SiriusXM NFL Radio analyst: "Suh, because he's younger, and I think that a defensive tackle has more of an impact on every play than a corner. But I will tell you that I remember asking Mike Pettine that question when he was the D-coordinator for the Jets and I said, Revis or DeMarcus Ware, if you're starting a team, which guy? And this was, like, 2012, when DeMarcus Ware was the best rusher. He thought about it and he said Revis because Revis, essentially, in his mind, gives you an extra guy on the field because when you're playing against, let's say, Detroit, you don't have to have safety help over the top, because Revis can take him away. Every other team, or most teams have to have that safety over the top. So in his mind, he felt like the corner gave him an extra defender."
• Brian Baldinger, former NFL OL and NFL Network analyst: "Revis. I mean, he's like the ultimate professional. He just changes the game. You got a big X receiver, you got an A.J. Green, you got a Kelvin Benjamin, you've got one guy that's going to eliminate him from the game. He gives your defense built-in flexibility, and he's a total pro and he's still got great game left."
• Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens RB: "I'll take Suh. Trenches. The game is won in the trenches, so you need big guys up there. Strong, tough, physical guys, and if I got to choose between those two, I'll take Suh."
• Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers WR: "Darrelle Revis. Shutdown corner, man. Those guys are a premium in this league."
• Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders LB: "That's tough, man. That's a tough question. That's a tough question. But you want to be able to stop the run. You want to be able to stop the run in this league, and then in order to do that, you need some interior linemen that can penetrate. Not saying that we don't, but yeah, you got to get the big fella (Suh)."
• Kirk Morrison, former NFL LB and SiriusXM Radio analyst: "Wow. Both can't go wrong. Ummm … I got to go Darrelle Revis. Got to go Darrelle Revis. I feel that defensive line, yes, dominance, but I think you can get enough capable guys to rotate in. You can't get capable corners. You can't get lockdown corners like Darrelle Revis. They're just not on the market. You can't buy them. 'Cause, if you think about, all the premier corners in the NFL, what happens to them? All their teams lock them up. They don't hit free agency. When a team knows what they got, they don't let him go. And I don't think New England lets him go. He's changed their defense."
• Lincoln Kennedy, former NFL OL and FoxSports Radio analyst: "Ndamukong Suh, most definitely. You start in the trenches, there's no doubt about it. You sure-fire the trenches. It's hard for people to block him. He's a tremendous player and he has a tremendous work ethic, which I think will add to your locker room, so I would definitely start with Ndamukong."
Final tally: Suh 4, Revis 3. For good measure, we ran the question by Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, too. An analyst for Westwood One and a former Raider, Woodson had the best solution of all, at least for his old team.
"Ohhh," he said, mulling the question. 'Well, if I had $70 million like the Raiders, I'd take both of them."
