The Minnesota Vikings haven’t made a lot of splash moves this offseason, but according to USA Today’s Tyler Dragon they could be interested in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Dragon reports that Suh has had a mutual interest in joining the Las Vegas Raiders, but noted that the Vikings were “a team to keep an eye on” as Suh decides on his next team.
Suh sparked rumors during Monday’s appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live when he said a return to the Bucs was “probably out of the picture.” While Suh said he would like to keep playing, he was asked specifically about joining the Raiders and revealed that he had exchanged text messages with Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones.
Full answer from @NdamukongSuh on his thoughts on the @Raiders #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/ki0IrSiAoV
— Cassie Soto (@_CassieSoto) June 20, 2022
Suh later wrote on Twitter that joining the Raiders “could be fun.”
Raiders could be fun https://t.co/WfZZbWQf9P
— Ndamukong Suh (@NdamukongSuh) June 21, 2022
While all four teams in the AFC West have added big names this offseason, the NFC North is looking like a significantly weaker division. With Davante Adams out of Green Bay and Chicago and Detroit embarking on a rebuild, Suh could see an easier path to the playoffs in Minnesota and he’s familiar with the division after spending the first five years of his career with the Lions.
“It’s an interesting opportunity for sure,” Suh said of joining the Raiders. “We’ll see where it kind of ends up. But that AFC West is very, very tough — which would be fun. You get out of that, you’re almost destined to get to the Super Bowl.”
The Vikings could use Suh’s help as their current defensive line consists of free-agent signing Harrison Phillips, Dalvin Tomlinson and Armon Watts.
Phillips and Tomlinson profile as run-stuffers but Suh’s 70.5 career sacks would be a huge upgrade over Watts, who has just seven sacks over three seasons. Even if Watts stays on the field during nickel packages, Suh would make for a solid partner in the middle and open opportunities for the rest of his teammates to make plays.
For what it’s worth, Dragon says that the Vikings and Raiders have had multiple conversations with Suh. Time will tell if those conversations are just a leverage ploy to get what he wants from Vegas or legitimate interest coming to Minnesota.
