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Reports: Chiefs claim Terrell Suggs, send Alex Okafor to injured reserve

The move to acquire the 17-year NFL veteran makes sense following the injury news regarding Alex Okafor.

Arizona Cardinals v Denver Broncos Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

UPDATE: 2:04 p.m. Arrowhead Time (Tuesday)

Terrell Suggs is on his way to Kansas City, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.


UPDATE: 8:36 p.m. Arrowhead Time

Terrell Suggs is likely to report to the Chiefs, reports Yahoo! Sports’ Terez Paylor.


Reports: Chiefs claim Terrell Suggs, send Alex Okafor to injured reserve

The Kansas City Chiefs have claimed outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The acquisition makes plenty of sense for the Chiefs on the same day that news broke of the team losing Alex Okafor for the season due to his torn pec. ESPN’s Field Yates is reporting that Okafor is headed to injured reserve to make room for Suggs.

Suggs, 37, has been in the league since he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens with the 10th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Suggs made the Pro Bowl seven times with the Ravens and was named the NFL’s defensive player of the year in 2011. Suggs was a member of the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII team.

Suggs spent his entire career with the Ravens before signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals this past offseason. But the Cardinals released him on Friday.

“It was mutual conversations as this thing went on,” Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said of his talks with Suggs. “Like I said, the respect was both ways. We know what he’s meant to this league, the Hall of Fame player he’s been, so we just wanted to have those conversations.”

In 13 games for Arizona this season, Suggs compiled 37 tackles (23 solo), eight tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and 5.5 sacks. He also forced four fumbles, recovering one. He has played both outside linebacker and defensive end during his NFL career.

ESPN reports on Friday speculated that Suggs would not report to a team other than the Ravens, given his history with the club. With that in mind, the Chiefs move to acquire Suggs is likely twofold — to help replace Okafor and ensure he doesn’t land with the Ravens, who would be considered at this time the Chiefs’ most significant threat to representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.

There has already been mixed speculation as to whether Suggs reports to the Chiefs. CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora suggested he may not, while Nate Taylor of The Athletic is suggesting he will.

ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported that the Ravens did not even put in a claim for Suggs, given the team is “last in the order.” Rapoport added that the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks also put in claims for Suggs.

Here are some numbers of note from Pro Football Focus:

and contract details courtesy of Spotrac:

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