Arizona Cardinals and Terrell Suggs go their separate ways

The veteran outside linebacker’s stint with the Arizona Cardinals has come to an end just 13 games into the 2019 campaign

Back in March, the front office of the Arizona Cardinals made a very interesting free agent signing. Terrell Suggs, who had spent all 16 of his professional campaigns with the Baltimore Ravens, would be coming back to the desert. The outside linebacker had played both his high school and college ball in Arizona, and would be returning to the state for the last hurrah of his NFL career.

In a surprising maneuver, the Cards announced on Friday that their relationship with Suggs had come to an end after 13 games. The team has won just three times in what now appears to be a rebuilding season, and had little need for the 37-year old defender. In effect, the Cardinals release of Suggs gives the veteran a chance to latch on with a contending squad for the stretch run if he desires to do so.

There’s also a possibility that Suggs could simply elect to call it quits. The aging player has been missing practice time lately, for an assortment of reasons. Suggs has been dealing with back and hamstring injuries, and had battled an illness as well.

Just last week, Arizona’s coaching staff made a move that could have also factored into their decision to part ways with Suggs. Not satisfied with Haason Reddick‘s performance at inside linebacker, the Cards switched the 25-year old to the outside. It’s believed that the former first-round draft pick will now take over as the starter at Suggs’ former slot for the final three matchups.

Suggs’ play had been deteriorating over the past few weeks. The future Hall of Fame candidate totaled 37 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in 13 contests for the Cardinals. In 242 pro appearances (226 starts), Suggs has racked up 891 tackles,138 sacks, seven interceptions and 37 passes defensed.

Arizona barely got to know the charismatic Suggs in the short time he was with the organization. In hindsight, staying with the surging Ravens would’ve been a much better option. Perhaps his former club will do Suggs a solid, and ask him to come back to Baltimore for their Super Bowl run.