Super Bowl LIV: Terrell Suggs' decision to join Kansas City Chiefs was an easy one

MIAMI — It seemed like a no-brainer.

With a month to go in the regular season, longtime Ravens great Terrell Suggs asked for his release from the Cardinals and appeared headed back to Baltimore.

And then Andy Reid called. It didn’t take much convincing for Suggs to be on board with joining the Chiefs. Kansas City claimed Suggs off waivers, and now the veteran defensive end is one win away from earning his second Super Bowl ring.

“I'm at peace,” Suggs said. “It’s part of the game. I’m not the first player that’s ever gone on waivers. You just have to take it as it comes. I said it then, and I’ll say it now, I thank the Cardinals for the opportunity. I just wish I could have been more help. I’m fortunate to get picked up by a team that had tremendous momentum and was already rolling.”

At the time of Suggs’ release, reports swirled that his preferred destination was Baltimore, the team for which he starred from 2003-18. But Reid, hoping to add a veteran presence to his defense and a player who could perform an important role in the defensive line rotation, convinced the 37-year-old Suggs that Kansas City was a good landing spot.

“Like coach Reid said, it didn’t take much convincing,” Suggs said.

Would Suggs have gone to another team, especially one that didn’t have as good a chance as the Chiefs?

“We can’t say, ‘What if?’” Suggs said. “I don’t know what I would have done, but I landed in a very fortunate situation.”

Suggs helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl after the 2012 season, as Baltimore beat the 49ers. He admits to having strong feelings about Baltimore, even if he’s happy being with the Chiefs.

“You’re always going to have feelings for your first love,” he said. “There’s always going to be something there. It’s your first love.”

Is one team better than the other?

“You can’t compare one championship team to another,” he said. “I think both are very unique in their own special way.”

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”