Detroit Lions News, Rumors: Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh

By Jack Phillips
December 10, 2014 Last Updated: December 10, 2014
Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will be the most coveted free agent, should the Lions be unable to sign before March 10. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

The Detroit Lions will play the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on Sunday. Here’s some of the latest buzz:

Suh says agent will decide future

Ndamukong Suh may not play for the Lions next season.

On Wednesday, he said that his agent will be the one who decides where he’ll play next.

“It’ll be Jimmy’s decision, so we’ll go with that,” he said, referring to his agent Jimmy Sexton. “You can call Jimmy.”

He then commented on if Suh will be a free agent. “He probably will,” Suh added, according to ESPN. “Yep.”

Suh is on the final year of his rookie deal, which averages about $12.6 million per year with $40 million guaranteed.

“No matter where we’re at, I want to play at a high level and impose my will, have teams focus on me, free other people up and at the same time make plays,” he said.

Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions makes a first down catch during the fourth quarter game winning drive during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field on November 09 , 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Dolphins 20-16. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions makes a first down catch during the fourth quarter game winning drive during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field on November 09 , 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Dolphins 20-16. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Johnson’s record in jeopardy?

Calvin Johnson said that he’s OK with Falcons receiver Julio Jones’ quest to get the receiving record.

Johnson holds the all-time mark of 1,964 yards receiving in a season.

Meanwhile, Jones has 1,428 receiving yards, but he’ll need to average about 178.7 yards per game over the next three to break the record.

“Never want to pull against a guy, especially as hard as things are in this league, just knowing myself how hard things are,” Johnson told the Detroit News. “So whatever he’s at, that’s pretty awesome. It’d be an awesome feat for him.”

Johnson broke the record in 2012, besting Jerry Rice, who previously had 1,848 receiving yards in 1995 with the San Francisco 49ers.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes the ball against the Miami Dolphins during an NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes the ball against the Miami Dolphins during an NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

Stafford, offense keeps defense fresh

The Detroit Lions have one of the best defense’s in football, but the offense at times this season has sputtered.

However, when the offense is on point and especially when it can carry out long drives, it keeps the defense fresh.

“This is a team-oriented game, it’s always going to be a team-oriented game,” Suh said, per DetroitLions.com. “We can play off the offense, we can play off special teams and vice versa.

He added: “For us as defensive players, we always want to get the ball back to them, allow them to go down there on long drives, it helps us rest up and when we have to go out there and get the ball for them we’ll be at full steam and ready to go.”

Last week, QB Matthew Stafford threw for three touchdowns and 311 yards in a victory over Tampa Bay.