Lions center Dominic Raiola would like to be butting heads with rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in training camp today, but the No. 2 overall pick hasn’t signed his contract yet.
So Raiola has a simple, and blunt, message for Suh.
“I’d like to tell him, ‘Just sign the damn contract already. You are missing some good things here,’” Raiola said.
Like many veterans, Raiola seems a bit frustrated that an unproven rookie is haggling over more guaranteed money than most players earn in their entire careers.
“I understand the business side of it, but when you are talking $40 million, $42 million, $43 million, I don’t know what the big difference is,” Raiola said. “Any way you cut it, after taxes, that’s $20 million. So you’ve got to get that name signed and get out here.”
Suh has now missed six practices over the first four days of training camp. Lions president Tom Lewand says there’s been no progress between the team and Suh’s agent today.