Whew, thank god they were able to negotiate this one to a happy conclusion! T-Sizzle was franchised by the Ravens as a linebacker for the 2008 season, thereby paying a tad over $8.0 million, the average of the top five paid linebackers in the league. His side argued that he should be franchised as a defensive end, as he put his hand on the ground more often than not. Why the argument? The franchise tag for d-linemen was around $8.8 million, over three quarters of a million more than the linebacker tag.
In the end, it probably won't matter, as the Ravens will sign Suggs to a long term contract, hopefully even before the season starts. However, it's good to know they could reach a compromise and now Suggs can sleep well at night knowing that he can put food on his table, at least for the next year!
Whew!