Martin Mayhew: 'New Ndamukong Suh contract imminent'

Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has confirmed that the team are close to finalising a new contract with Ndamukong Suh.

The defensive end, who was the second overall pick in the 2010 Draft, is heading into the final year of his rookie contract with the NFC North side.

Mayhew told ESPN: "I think this will get done on the eve of free agency or the eve of the start of the new league year, which is when free agency starts. Or some time shortly after the start of the new league year. That will be a good timetable for it.

"If it doesn't get done, we're fine with that. We can create some space and we have some room under the cap and the cap went up a little bit, as you guys probably heard.

"There's not going to be any type of setback or cap crunch or that type of thing if we don't get something done with him in the near future. But I do expect something to get done with him."

Suh had 49 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2013.