Von Miller and the Denver Broncos could be headed towards a holdout this summer, and potentially beyond. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports the Broncos have made Miller an offer between $17-18 million and don’t want to make him the NFL’s highest-paid defender.
“The Broncos have offered Miller a deal worth between $17 million and $18 million a year but have stated the position they don’t want to pay more than $19.062 million a year Miami’s Ndamukong Suh gets as the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player,” writes Klis.
Miller isn’t going anywhere this season. He’s tied to the team via the franchise tag designation, which would pay him $14.129 million (fully guaranteed) this year. That said, as Klis notes in his report, Miller isn’t expected to sign that contract any time soon (if ever) and also isn’t expected to attend offseason workouts and team OTAs as his contract negotiations play out with the franchise.
After watching a guy like Olivier Vernon sign a deal that pays him $17 million per year, it’s no wonder Miller isn’t interested in attending offseason workouts right now.
Vernon has 29 sacks in his first four years playing in the NFL. Miller has 60 in his first five years. That’s a huge disparity in production, and watching both players side by side on tape it’s clear who deserves that money and who doesn’t.
If players like Vernon are going to rake in that kind of dough, you can be sure Miller and his agency will be pushing hard to eclipse the $20 million mark. A previous report by Jason Cole of Bleacher Report stated the linebacker is seeking $22 million per season, and Klis reports his value may be between $20-25 million.
It’s purely speculation to say Miller will end up holding out of training camp or potentially even a game or more. That said, given the wide gap between the player and organization right now it’s not a stretch to foresee such a scenario playing out this summer and into the fall.
The Broncos, even after saving money in cap space by trading left tackle Ryan Clady to the New York Jets, are still in desperation mode as it pertains to their salary cap situation. Without another quarterback to compete with Mark Sanchez, they’re still going to have to spend a good chunk of their remaining cap on a passer.
This is the cost of tailoring a roster to fit an aging Peyton Manning for his final rodeo, which did produce the desired results.
However, the next couple of years (or more) could be challenging for John Elway and the Broncos. They already watched a few of their top stars walk out the door via free agency this offseason, and it’s not going to be easy to fit Miller’s massive salary into the equation.
The deadline to work out a long-term deal is July 15. If nothing happens by then, Miller would have to play on the franchise tag. If that were to happen, he just might protest in a big way.