The standoff between the Denver Broncos and star pass rusher Von Miller is getting worse and worse (or better and better if you’re a fan of the other AFC West teams!). Miller posted on Instagram that there is “no chance” he will play the 2016 season under the franchise tag. A Broncos beat writer said he also got an email from Miller’s PR firm to make sure he saw it.
There are reports of an initial agreement on a six-year deal worth $114 million, but the two sides could not agree on guaranteed money. The Broncos were reportedly offering $39 million, and he wanted something more like Ndamukong Suh’s $60 million in guaranteed money. Without an agreement on guaranteed money, the total years and dollar value is useless.
The two sides have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract. If they do not have a deal by then, they have to wait until next offseason to come up with a new contract. The Broncos currently have the exclusive franchise tag placed on Miller. They are not allowed to use the exclusive tag on Miller next year, but can use the non-exclusive tag. That tag would cost another team a first and third round pick for Miller, but it would open the door for a team to try and work out a deal.
John Elway has proven he will not back down on most financial demands. We saw it with his reported negotiations over a Colin Kaepernick trade. He wanted Kap to take a pay cut or the 49ers to pay a portion of his deal. When neither Kap or the 49ers were willing to do that, Elway said, thanks but no thanks. The fact that he is willing to start Mark Sanchez or Trevor Siemian this year is certainly indicative of that. The question now is who backs down first between Elway and Miller. Or maybe nobody does, and Miller sits out the season. It's going to get really interesting really quickly.