Is Ndamukong Suh worth that $114 million deal? (Getty Images)
Is Ndamukong Suh worth that $114 million deal? (Getty Images)

Some weeks ago, the Dolphins identified defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh as the centerpiece of their free agency plans. The thinking, we're guessing, is that Suh makes everyone around him better, and that means more sacks for Cameron Wake, more turnovers for the secondary and, ultimately, more wins for a team desperate to get to the playoffs.

So it wasn't surprising when the Dolphins officially announced last Wednesday that they had signed Suh to a six-year, $114 million deal with $60 million in guarantees.

That's a huge chunk of change for any player. As former agent Joel Corry, writing for CBSSports.com, points out, "Suh's $59.96 million guaranteed sets a new standard for guaranteed money with non-quarterbacks. It eclipses the $53.25 million of guaranteed money in the seven-year, $113.45 million contract extension Calvin Johnson received from the Detroit Lions in 2012."

And while Suh is unquestionably one of the best at his position, how many times has the addition of a defensive tackle suddenly changed the fortunes of a team? Put another way: Is Suh and that contract good for another three or four wins next season, which is what Miami will need to compete with the Patriots in the division (or, more likely, one of the two wild-card spots)?

That's the only question that matters, because if the answer is "I couldn't tell you" then that money could be better spent elsewhere.

It gets more complicated. According to OvertheCap.com's Jason Fitzgerald, the Dolphins' front-office salary-cap gymnastics could cripple the team in the not-too-distant future.

"In order to fit Suh within their cap easily this season, the Dolphins opted for a structure that will see Suh count for only $6 million against the cap, despite the annual contract value of $19.1 million," Fitzgerald told TheMMQB.com's Peter King. "That leaves Suh with an average cap charge for the 2016-2018 seasons of $21.9 million. Quite honestly I am not sure how you compete in the NFL for a championship with those figures, especially for a defensive tackle."

That's a troubling revelation for a team desperately trying to keep pace in the AFC East. And the more Fitzgerald explained Miami's situation, the worse it looks.

"When you look throughout NFL history, the highest percentage of cap spent on one individual player by a Super Bowl winner is just 13.1 percent, which occurred in 1994, the first year of the salary cap. The average is under 10 percent. The only defensive tackle to have the highest percentage of cap allocation on a team was Warren Sapp, who was just under 10 percent. ...

"The 2016 season in particular is worrisome," Fitzgerald continued. "His $28.6 million cap charge is crippling, and the team will need to decide to restructure for cap relief, making his future cap charges even more difficult to handle, or bite the bullet and realize what a mistake they made."

And then Fitzgerald compared the Suh deal to one that was an unmitigated disaster for the Dolphins.

"This is the same contract structure the Dolphins recently used with receiver Mike Wallace, who had a cap hit of $3.25 million in his first contract year and a $17.25 million hit in his second year."

So yeah, the Dolphins need a lot to go right in the next few years for the contract to look like anything but a terrible idea. Fitzgerald can't see that happening, telling King, " have a feeling that this contract may be looked at similar to Mike Ditka’s decision to trade an entire draft for Ricky Williams."

In case you're wondering: Williams played for the Saints from 1999-2001. They went 3-13, 10-6 and 7-9. From 2002 to 2005, the team finished above .500 once; in 2006, New Orleans signed Drew Brees and went to the playoffs in five of the next eight seasons, including a Super Bowl title in 2009.