Five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh retires at age 38

Ndamukong Suh (All-Pro Reels Photography, Wikimedia Commons)

Five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of Portland, Oregon (pictured right) retired from the National Football League according to Jill Heemstra of SB Nation on Monday. Suh played 13 NFL seasons with five franchises from 2010 to 2022. He was with the Detroit Lions for five seasons from 2010 to 2014, the Miami Dolphins for three seasons from 2015 to 2017, the Los Angeles Rams for one season in 2018, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons from 2019 to 2021, and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

Suh has not played in the NFL the last two seasons. He did not officially retire until Saturday. Suh is very busy with a podcast titled “No Free Lunch” according to Field Level Media.

In 199 NFL regular season games, Suh had 600 combined tackles (392 solo tackles and 208 assisted tackles), 130 tackles for a loss, 214 quarterback hits, one safety, one interception for 20 yards, 38 pass deflections, five forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries for 60 yards, three fumble recoveries for a touchdown, and 71.5 sacks. The interception return for a touchdown was for 20 yards, and came in a 44-6 Lions win over the St. Louis Rams on October 10, 2010. The safety came in a 40-10 Lions win over the Green Bay Packers on November 28, 2013.

In 2019, Suh led the NFL in fumble recoveries for touchdowns with two. Both touchdowns came in Buccaneers wins. The first was for 37 yards and came in a 55-40 Bucaneers win over the Los Angeles Rams on September 29, 2019, and the second was for six yards and came in a 35-22 Buccaneers win over the Atlanta Falcons on November 24, 2019.

Suh was selected to five Pro Bowls (2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014 with Detroit and 2016 with Miami). He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2021.

On a personal note, I remember watching Suh be a dominant presence while at the University of Nebraska. He ended up being a fine intimidator in the NFL.