In light of his latest suspension, is Ndamukong Suh worth the trouble?

When Ndamukong Suh's contract expires at the end of this season, the Lions or any other team keen on handing him a massive deal first will have to answer this

When Ndamukong Suh's contract expires at the end of this season, the Lions or any other team keen on handing him a massive deal first will have to answer this question: Is it worth it?

The NFL suspended Suh one game for stepping on Aaron Rodgers' leg Sunday, meaning that the linchpin of Detroit's top-ranked rush defense will miss (pending appeal) a wild-card round matchup with Dallas and RB DeMarco Murray.

• 2015 NFL Mock Draft: Top-10 picks | NFL Week 17: Complete coverage

"You did not respond in the manner of someone who had lost his balance and accidentally contacted another player who was lying on the ground," NFL VP of Football Operations Merton Hanks said in a letter to Suh announcing the suspension. "This illegal contact, specifically the second step and push off with your left foot, clearly could have been avoided. You unnecessarily stepped on your opponent’s unprotected leg as he lay on the ground unable to protect himself."

Without stepping inside Suh's head, some of Hanks' conclusions are up for debate. Trying to decipher Suh's intent as compared to "someone who had lost his balance and accidentally contacted another played" is a tall task based on replays. 

NFL Black Monday Tracker 2014

Suh, though, has not left himself any gray area in these matters. Asking for the benefit of the doubt banks on those in the league office still having any doubt about Suh's actions in these cases, and the Lions' defensive tackle may have crossed that bridge long ago. He has been fined seven times during his NFL career and was hit with a two-game suspension for his infamous stomp on Green Bay's Evan Dietrich-Smith.

"There's an old adage that you prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Monday when asked if he thought Suh would be suspended for the playoffs.

He may as well have been talking about the entire Ndamukong Suh experience. There may not be a more dominant defensive tackle in football today -- Suh was just named to his fourth Pro Bowl in five seasons -- but rarely is the ride a smooth one. Suh recorded 8.5 sacks this season, his most since his rookie year of 2009; he also led the Lions in penalties with 10. 

Now, unless he can talk his way out of this punishment, he'll sit for just the second Lions playoff game since 2000.

This could be how Suh's Lions career comes to a close. The two sides did not reach a contract extension prior to the season, and Detroit will have to break the bank to keep him. Even if Suh signs elsewhere, he will count $9.7 million against the Lions' 2015 cap because of previous contract restructurings. A potential franchise tag would add another $27 million or so. 

Seahawks, Packers retake rightful places atop NFC; more Week 17 Snaps

Plenty of teams will come calling if Suh makes it to the open market. Getting from Point A to Point B and justifying a lucrative contract for him will be another matter.

All of these on-field hiccups now linger on Suh's résumé and reputation, enough to create some second-guessing when it comes to his future. Can a team trust him to keep it together over the long haul? How much more will the NFL tolerate before it really drops the hammer with an extended suspension? 

Suh's talent often overrides most of the headaches, from his tendency to cross the line on Sundays to his notoriously standoffish behavior with the media. Whether or not that continues to be the case may depend on where Suh lands in 2015, and how forgiving the front office is there. 

• Grading every team's season | High seeds on upset watch in Round 2

In the interim, Suh has created a world of trouble for his current team, which already is without injured defensive tackle Nick Fairley. So, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will have to mix and match up front -- Andre Fluellen, C.J. Mosley, Caraun Reid -- in what might be a fruitless attempt to match up against Dallas' sensational offensive line. 

Whether you side with the NFL's analysis of the Suh-Rodgers incident or believe that it truly was an accident, Suh again found himself in a questionable situation, this time while well-aware of how high the stakes are for his team.

His play will be worthy of the contract that's to come, almost no matter the price. Suh's judgment continues to make it more and more difficult, though, to maintain that argument.

GALLERY: Suh's most controversial moments

Ndamukong Suh's Controversial Moments

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

In just his fourth year in the league, Ndamukong Suh has become one of the most polarizing players in the NFL.

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Before he even played his first official snap, Suh announced himself as a ferocious, if not dirty player. In an exhibition game against the Cleveland Browns in August 2010, Suh charged through the defensive line and yanked quarterback Jake Delhomme's facemask before tightening his grip and throwing Delhomme down by his head. Suh was fined $7,500 for the hit.

Damian Strohmeyer/SI

Suh has a history with Bears QB Jay Cutler, starting with a nasty forearm shove, during a game in December 2010, that was deemed a blow to the head and cost the defensive tackle $15,000. Replays later showed that Suh actually hit Cutler above the shoulder pads and below the neck, but the hit was still deemed a fineable offense.

John Biever/SI

Bengals QB Andy Dalton received a rude and highly illegal welcome to the NFL by Suh when the then-rookie had his helmet ripped off in the 2011 preseason opener. The hit, similar to the one Suh put on Delhomme, earned him a $20,000 fine. Suh was none too happy about the response as he would tweet: "$20,000REALLY???!!"

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Suh was voted the dirtiest player in a Sporting News poll of 111 players on 31 teams. Suh won in a landslide over the Steelers' James Harrison.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

In a November 2011 game, Suh ripped Cutler's helmet off while taking the quarterback down.

Andrew Weber/USA Today Sports

In a Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers in 2011, Suh became tangled up with Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith and eventually stamped the lineman after standing up. The act earned Suh a two-game suspension without pay and sullied his reputation in the press and throughout the league.

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT via Getty Images

In an October 2012 game against the Chicago Bears, Suh laid a controversial but decidedly legal hit on quarterback Jay Cutler, a player that he has terrorized in the past. Suh chased Cutler to the sidelines before grabbing his shoulder pad and violently driving the quarterback into the ground. The NFL determined not to fine Suh for the hit.

Paul Sancya/AP

Suh was fined $30,000 for kicking Houston quarterback Matt Schaub during a Thanksgiving Day game on Nov. 22, 2012. After Suh was taken to the ground, his foot swung toward Schaub and hit him in the groin area.

Leon Halip/Getty Images

During the 2013 season opener, with 14:09 left in the second quarter, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder threw a pick to Detroit outside linebacker DeAndre Levy, who appeared to take it to the house for a touchdown. However, Ndamukong Suh negated the score when he put a clearly illegal block on Minnesota center John Sullivan (inset). The NFL levied a $100,000 fine against Suh for the low block.