Ndamukong Suh Says His Free-Agency Decision Came Down to Eagles, 49ers
November 20, 2022
Before joining the Philadelphia Eagles, Ndamukong Suh considered signing with another NFC team.
Speaking with ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio after Sunday's 17-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Suh admitted his decision came down to the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.
Niners general manager John Lynch revealed during an appearance on KNBR's Tolbert & Copes show (h/t David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone) earlier this week that San Francisco was also interested in Suh last year:
"We talked to him last year, and we talked to him earlier this year, and it just never came to fruition. I think, ultimately, it sounds like he really sought the Eagles as a place he wanted to be, and you can't get them all. He's a good football player who's on the backend of his career, but I'm sure he'll help them, and a good pickup for the Eagles."
The veteran defensive tackle said he was interested in joining the Niners because of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who was on the Detroit Lions coaching staff during Suh's five-year tenure with the franchise from 2010-14.
However, Suh told Florio that he accepted an offer to join the Eagles because he wants to win another Super Bowl, and Philly appears much closer to contending than San Francisco. He added that since he has twin sons, he wants to win two Super Bowls to get a ring for each of them.
Suh won a Super Bowl as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 season. He remained with the Bucs in 2021, posting six sacks, 27 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and 13 quarterback hits in 17 games, but Tampa Bay was eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
In his debut for the Eagles on Sunday, Suh finished with 0.5 sacks and three tackles, helping Philadelphia improve to 9-1 on the season. He should help stabilize a unit that has missed rookie Jordan Davis' presence in the run game.
Suh would have been a huge addition for the 49ers defensive line, which is dealing with injuries to Javon Kinlaw, Arik Armstead and Samson Ebukam, but now San Francisco will be left wondering what could have been.