So neither of those came in the salary cap era. I did see something that Ndamukong Suh was the highest paid player in 2020 but I'm not sure. In any case, it doesn't make sense to pay someone who hasn't been to a championship game, $7m more than number 2 on the salary list for his position

Why not? I know analytics says he was one of the best in obvious pass rush situations over the past 4 years, but he he was average against the run and he seemed more interested in his podcast and getting paid than winning. He couldn't even earn one of these flags for his team...lol