ALLEN PARK – Former Lions star Ndamukong Suh once said that Jared Goff was the best quarterback he’d ever played with. With Goff traded to Detroit, Suh reached out to his former quarterback to offer positive thoughts about his old town.
“I think it’s an interesting trade,” Suh said Monday as he prepared to play for Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV. Clearly, LA has given up on a lot of things. They were keen to give up many choices in the first round to get what they think is best for their team. More power to them, and like I said I said I spoke to Jared Goff the other day and wanted to wish him the best and let him know if he needs anything in Detroit because it’s a city I love and I have a lot of good relationships there, which I am happy to pass on to him to make sure he feels at ease and gets a fresh start there. “
Suh finished second overall by Detroit in the 2010 draft, then appeared in four Pro Bowls and earned three All-Pro nods in five seasons with the franchise. He also anchored one of the Lions’ best defenses ever in 2014, when they held the No. 1 defense in the league and came second in all-out defense. It was the only time the Lions had a top-10 defense with Matthew Stafford, going 11-5, their second-best regular season ever.
But the Lions were bounced back from the playoffs in a wild card loss to Dallas that year, with Suh fled to Miami a few months later on a $ 114 million contract that included $ 60 million in guarantees. Both figures were records for a defensive player.
In his first season with Miami, the Dolphins opened the season 1-4 before firing Joe Philbin and promoting Dan Campbell to interim head coach. Campbell signed a six-year deal last month to become the Lions’ next head coach, and Suh says he’s a fan of hiring.
“Dan is a great guy,” said Suh. “I had a great time with him as interim head coach at the Dolphins. Hands down a player’s coach and been able to keep in touch with him while in New Orleans, clearly playing against them twice in the last two years.
“(Campbell) just got a great quarterback in Jared Goff, who I was with in the Super Bowl two years ago. So I’m excited to see what they can do there in Detroit. “
Suh went to the Super Bowl with Goff and the Rams in 2018 and spent the last two seasons in Tampa. He will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Sunday.