Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Charles Woodson: Any team would want Ndamukong Suh

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ndamukong Suh is a month away from being the most attractive option in the 2015 free-agent market.

And to Oakland defensive back Charles Woodson, every team in the NFL should be interested in Suh’s services -- including his Raiders.

“I don’t think there’s a team in the NFL that wouldn’t want to see Ndamukong Suh on their team,” Woodson told ESPN.com after a wine tasting event for his company, TwentyFour Wines, at Plum Market. “I know I would be no different. That guy is one of the best, overall, period in the NFL.

“Would I like him on our team? Believe it.”

That’s a sentiment likely echoed by a lot of teams around the league as Suh’s rookie contract voids Friday. The No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft turned into a dominant defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, who are still making efforts to re-sign him to a long-term deal before he hits free agency next month.

Right now, the Lions are the only team that can negotiate with Suh and his agent, Jimmy Sexton.

Woodson said there’s a chance Suh might feel he has “unfinished business” in Detroit with a franchise that has made the playoffs twice in four seasons but has not won a playoff game since 1992. He also said players typically feel some comfort and love for the team that drafts them.

In Woodson’s case, he was drafted by the Raiders, eventually left for Green Bay and then returned to Oakland after the 2012 season -- although he told ESPN.com he had unrequited interest in the Lions at that point as well.

But Suh’s value, Woodson said, is massive for defensive backs. It is part of what makes him so attractive to almost any defense.

“This has been well-stated over the years as far as defensive backs and defensive linemen, that they go hand in hand,” Woodson said. “The better your front is, the better it makes your job as a defensive back and the ability to know that the ball is coming out soon.

“That’s a guy that gets pressure up the middle of the field, gets quarterbacks off the spot, which we like, because that means balls have to come out.”

Oakland is one of the teams rumored to have interest in Suh -- as are most teams that have a lot of salary-cap room. It is expected Suh will want a deal that at least comes close to reaching the $100 million contract Houston defensive end J.J. Watt received in September.

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