Five days ago, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs tore the Achilles tendon in his left leg, three-plus years after tearing the same tendon in his right leg playing basketball in the offseason.
On Friday, Suggs will have the tendon repaired surgically, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Already on injured reserve, Suggs won’t play again this year. The bigger question becomes what will happen with Suggs in 2016.
Due to have a cap number of $7.45 million with a $4.5 million salary and $2.95 million in previously-paid bonuses, the Ravens may decide that’s too much for a soon-to-be-33-year-old linebacker with a pair of surgically-repaired Achilles tendons. He’s got $6.85 million in dead money, however, and any decision to move on from Suggs would result in that cash being accounted for under the cap.
The better approach would be to assess whether his pay reflects his value, and to adjust the contract accordingly. If no one else would pay him on the open market what the Ravens would pay him on a reduced deal, Suggs may be willing to move some money around.
Much of the final decision depends on how he recovers from the injury. He’s three years older this time around, and the struggles and umpteen surgeries for Colts linebacker Robert Mathis should let anyone who has become desensitized to the reality of athlete surgery know that it’s not as perfunctory as an oil change.