The Ravens have temporarily suspended talks on a new contract for Terrell Suggs because of a grievance he's filed against the team. When the Ravens used their franchise tag on Suggs, they of course labeled him as a linebacker.
That's the position he plays in the club's base 3-4 defense, but he lines up as a defensive end in passing situations. Since the franchise tag means that Suggs will earn the average salary of the five highest-paid players at his position, he's set to make $8.065 million next season.
The average of the highest-paid defensive ends will make $8.879 million, so you can imagine which position Suggs would rather play. He actually has a point because about half his plays came from the defensive end position, but he's never argued with being labeled as a linebacker in the past.
You can bet that players such as Cowboys "linebacker" DeMarcus Ware will be paying close attention to this case. Ware is set to become a free agent following the 2009 season, although there's a good chance he'll receive an extension before then.
