The Ndamukong Suh NFL free agency derby is heating up.
The Oakland Raiders, as reported earlier Thursday by Mike Silver of NFL.com, are "planning" to meet with Suh next week.
The interest in the mammoth Lions defensive tackle on the part of the Black and Silver has been well known for months. Suh is a one-of-a-kind talent and the most gifted defensive player to hit the open market in years.
The only problem for the Raiders?
The Miami Dolphins may already have the inside track on adding Suh.
"PFT continues to hear that the team with the best chance of landing Suh is the Dolphins," writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "And for good reason; owner Stephen Ross previously whiffed on coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback Peyton Manning, and coach Jeff Fisher. Ross wants to make a splash, as does new executive V.P. of football operations Mike Tannenbaum."
Suh, 27, is expected to command the largest contract for a defensive player in NFL history. With the second-most cap space in the league, that shouldn't be a problem for the Raiders.
The Dolphins remain one step ahead thanks to an advantage wholly unconnected to football.
"When it comes to a contest between the Raiders and the Dolphins, Ross has ultimate ace in the hole - the absence of state income taxes in Florida. In California, the rate for the really rich is 13.3 percent," writes Florio.
"So if Suh signs a deal that pays him $15 million per year in California, the Golden State will withhold $1.995 million in taxes. Per year. In Florida, the Sunshine State will take the grand total of zero dollars and zero cents from Suh's game checks."
When looked at from that perspective it's hard to fault Suh if he sees the Dolphins as the more attractive option. It's hard to say if one team is more appealing than the other from a competitive standpoint - both franchises had down seasons last year, but boast some good young talent, including potential franchise quarterbacks.
Stay tuned folks, this is about to get interesting.
