Von Miller wants to get paid, and he and the Denver Broncos are far apart in contract negotiations at this time.
As we passed along previously, the Broncos reportedly had a six-year offer on the table worth $114.5 million. Miller wasn’t willing to sign on for that amount and the Broncos pulled the offer off the table. It was reported that the franchise had hoped to get him signed well before the July 15 deadline in the hopes Miller would show up to offseason workouts.
Obviously that didn’t happen, and now we know why.
According to Lionel Bienvenu of KMGH ABC 7 in Denver, Miller is seeking close to $60 million guaranteed in his first three years.
Von Miller wants 3rd year guarantee bringing guaranteed money close to $60M. #Broncos offer is 2-year guarantee at $38.5M. hence the snag.
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) June 8, 2016
This means the Broncos and Miller are roughly $20 million apart.
The thinking from Miller’s camp is likely that he’d be earning $55.38 million if he were to sign a franchise tag for three years running. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Miller would be seeking close to $60 million.
The problem?
Denver is extremely cap-strapped. The Broncos have been adverse to make Miller the highest-paid defender in the league. It’s easy to understand why when you see what they’re dealing with when it comes to the salary cap. Per Spotrac, the Broncos are currently over the cap by more than $11 million, and the franchise will be dealing with plenty of tough decisions in the coming years.
At this point, it seems like it’s more likely that Miller will have to play on his one-year franchise tag, which would give him just under $14.2 million. That said, deadlines prompt action in the NFL. The Broncos had a similar situation going on last year with receiver Demaryius Thomas and got the deal done at the 11th hour.
Perhaps that is an option for Miller as well, but things aren’t looking great on that front at this time.