Justin Tuck starts his recruiting of Ndamukong Suh early for 2015

One of the biggest values of adding Justin Tuck last year was that he is a popular, well respected veteran in the league that knows a lot of players. He was instrumental in recruiting free agents to at least listen to the Raiders and it appears he is getting an early start at those duties this year.

He is starting his circuit by telling the Detroit Free Press that he would very much be interested in Ndamukong Suh joining the Oakland Raiders next season.

"(He's) Raider-ish," said Tuck, "And that's one of the reasons why I know Raider Nation would applaud that move, beyond the fact that he's an awesome football player. He kind of fits the mold of ... the toughness and the ferocious player that built the Oakland Raiders."

Those of us that are a part of Raider Nation can certainly attest to the truth of Tuck's words here. The Raiders very much were built on the type of rugged, tough player that Suh is and the fanbase here would embrace him even more so than any other fan base in the league. The Raiders have been missing the type of aggression and swagger that Suh brings to the field for a long time and he would absolutely be a welcome addition to the team.

Of course much of the fan base would be chomping at the bit to have Ndamukong come to Oakland, but there is another level of interest that comes when a player on the team comes out and openly recruits a free agent like this. Suh is not going to come cheap though, it will be quite the opposite in fact as he will be getting a $100M contract that will likely be the richest a defensive player has ever signed in the NFL.

What adding a player like Suh can do for a franchise is very much worth the dollar amount associated to him and the Raiders are going to have plenty of money to spend this off-season. The reports on their likely cap space vary widely depending on what they do with the current players on their roster but it will be at least $50M and as much as $70M. If they want Suh they definitely can afford him.

There is no doubt where Justin Tuck stands on this though, he very much wants the Raiders to try and add the behemoth DT known for his sometimes overly zealous play. It is completely understandable why though, opponents would have no choice but to double team Suh and that would open things up for Tuck and other Raiders like Khalil Mack in a big way.

"I know Raider Nation would love to have him," Tuck said. "I think Detroit would love to keep him, but hopefully, it works out for us, and I get an opportunity to play with that guy, because it would be phenomenal for what we're trying to build in Oakland."

Tuck is spot on with his assessment here too. Raider Nation would love to have Suh but so would other teams including his current team the Detroit Lions, there will be a lot of competition for his services. Tuck is right about the last part too, getting Suh would be absolutely phenomenal for what the Raiders are planning on building in Oakland.