Ndamukong Suh had his pick of teams when the Miami Dolphins released him last month. The dominating defensive lineman chose the Los Angeles Rams
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Whether it's the proximity to great weather, smart coaches or Super Bowl contention, NFL stars have been eager to land in LA during the Rams' intriguing offseason. The 300-pound Suh is the biggest one yet, in every way.
"I think everybody looks at everything on paper, and I would say we're in pretty good shape on paper," Suh said Friday.
"But we have a lot of things to prove, and really myself. I always play with a chip on my shoulder, and my focus is to come in here and put in a lot of work and prove my worth. ... There were a lot of other great teams that I had offers from, but I think this was the best fit for me."
Rams coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead formally introduced Suh, who agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal to team up with AP Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald on a potentially ferocious defensive line in Los Angeles.
The 31-year-old Suh said Donald was "definitely a plus" in his decision, since it's almost certain to prevent opponents from constantly double-teaming either star. But Suh was equally excited by the presence of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, whose ability to put talent in positions to succeed has been a major attraction since his arrival last year.
"Being able to be fortunate enough to watch film with the coaches on my visit was important for me
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Suh will be the Rams' nose tackle in their base 3-4 defense, and he sounded excited about trying a new primary position. Phillips will move around Suh, Donald and Michael Brockers to create trouble for offensive lines, and Suh was attracted to the challenge of forming new skills in his ninth NFL season.
"Over the last five years or so, between Miami and Detroit, to get me out of double teams and kind of being in the trash, I've played every single position, every single technique that's really possible," Suh said.
The entire NFL watched last season when McVay and Phillips transformed a team that hadn't had a winning season since 2003 into an 11-5 champion of the NFC West. The Rams' offense went from 32nd to first in the NFL in points, while the defense became exciting and effective despite lacking ideal personnel for some of Phillips' schemes.
The Rams have addressed those personnel issues aggressively with the additions of Suh and elite cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. While Suh's contract is a financial splash, McVay and Snead felt the expense was worth it for a player of Suh's extraordinary ability.
The Rams released cornerback Kayvon Webster to make room for Suh's contract under the salary cap. Although Los Angeles is interested in re-signing Webster, who started 11 games last season
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Donald still hasn't been given a long-term contract by the Rams, but Suh is eager to begin the process of building teamwork during their offseason workout program. Suh has never reached a Super Bowl, but he joined the Rams knowing they intend to contend immediately.
"They had a very successful year last year in the regular season," Suh said. "And I believe I can be of help to get them over some of the humps."
The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension with Danielle Hunter, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid defensive ends in the NFL while securing another core player before he could reach free agency.
The deal, which was done on Wednesday, is worth up to $72 million, according to a person with knowledge of the contract who spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms weren't disclosed by the team.
The deal includes $40 million in guaranteed money, with a $15 million signing bonus. The annual average worth is more than $14 million, on par with fellow Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen.
"I had to get this out of the way," Hunter said, acknowledging relief to have signed before training camp. "I didn't want to be bothered by anything."
Hunter has 25陆 sacks, three forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles in three seasons
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"Just looking forward to getting him locked in and what he's going to continue to bring not only to this defense and this football team, but also the type of character that he brings," general manager Rick Spielman said.
Over those past three seasons, Hunter and Griffen have combined for 57 sacks, the second most by a pair of teammates in the league behind Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap of the Cincinnati Bengals (58).
The pass rush and run defense provided by these bookends has been a significant part of coach Mike Zimmer's unit that gave up the fewest points and yards in the NFL last season.
"We build a bond together on defense," Hunter said. "We go out there, we know we're brothers. We fight together. We do our assignments. On and off the field we're really, really close.
Hunter was third in the NFL with 12陆 sacks in 2016, the most by a defensive end. Born in Jamaica and raised just outside of Houston, the 6-foot-5, 252-pound Hunter was a classic late bloomer the Vikings targeted with confidence he'd continue to develop with the right coaching to complement his measurable physical skills. Spielman and his scouts have been proven right with that pick.
"I kind of came in with the mindset of just playing football. I had a whole bunch of people in front of me
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The Vikings extended middle linebacker Eric Kendricks earlier this offseason. Outside linebacker Anthony Barr and wide receiver Stefon Diggs are their other two standouts on expiring contracts, with space under the salary cap dwindling. Signing both of them to new long-term deals might not be possible.
They're plenty happy to at least have Hunter around well into the next decade, though. According to statistics compiled by Vikings coaches, Hunter also has 125 quarterback hurries and 147 total tackles. He has never missed an NFL game to injury, with his only two absences coming in 2015 when he was on the inactive list in the first month of his rookie year.
"It's all about keep continuing to improve my game. I've got to go out there and do what the coaches tell me to do. Now that I have this I can't relax," Hunter said. "I have to keep pounding and grinding."
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