Posted at 12:45 p.m., Thursday, August 2, 2007
NFL: Ravens' Suggs focused on football, not contract
Associated Press
WESTMINSTER, Md. — Even with the possibility of a big payday looming, Terrell Suggs is doing his best to focus on the field.Suggs' agent and the Baltimore Ravens have been working on a long-term contract extension since April. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome has said that Suggs is the team's top negotiating priority.
Suggs is also the Ravens' best pass rusher, and he knows the financial rewards will keep coming as long as he keeps getting sacks. He said he added 9 pounds of muscle in the offseason.
"I could be trying to play more defensive end for more reasons than one," Suggs said Thursday.
But money is far from his top priority.
"I'm not worried about it," he said. "I'm happy to be a Raven. Whenever that stuff happens, it happens."
Suggs had 9 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 2006. He reached 40 sacks for his career, which triggered a clause in his contract that boosted his base salary to $5 million this season.
Suggs trains in the offseason with Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, who recently signed the richest contract for an NFL defensive player — a six-year, $72-million deal that included a $30 million signing bonus. They also have the same agent, Gary Wichard.
"Dwight Freeney's deal caught everybody's attention," Suggs said. "He's a great player, and he deserves what they gave him. But it's not like I'm going to be saying what he gets I should get."
Suggs' primary goal remains winning the Super Bowl in his native Phoenix.
"You get all those personal accolades, and they only last for the moment," he said. "People will always remember the Ravens of 2000, and people will always remember the 2006 Indianapolis Colts. Nobody ever remembers the Pro Bowlers that year, or who won the MVP. The only thing that lasts through the ages is championships."
