Broncos To Continue Contract Talks With Von Miller Leading Up Deadline, Will Franchise Him If No Deal

Update:

James Palmer of NFL Media reports that the Broncos and the representatives for OLB Von Miller will talk from now until the 4pm EST deadline to franchise players tomorrow.

If the two sides are unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal, Palmer mentions that they’ll franchise him and continue to discuss a potential extension.

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Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the Broncos are expected to use their exclusive franchise tag on OLB Von Miller before Tuesday’s deadline, barring a last-minute agreement on a contract extension.

According to Renck, contract talks between the two parties gained momentum during the Combine last week after GM John Elway met with Miller’s agent. The tone in talks with Miller has reportedly been amicable because both sides are motivated to get a long-term deal done.

The exclusive tag will guarantee Miller a one-year salary of $14.04 million should he play out the 2016 season under the tag and would prevent another team from negotiating with him in the coming months. This won’t, however, prevent the two parties from working on a long-term extension throughout the offseason and leading up to the July deadline to negotiate with franchised players.

Rand Getlin previously reported that the “starting point” for Miller in negotiations with the Broncos is going to be the contract signed by Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh. Miller expects to be paid as the highest decision player in the NFL.

This, of course, means that QB Brock Osweiler and DE Malik Jackson are in good position to reach the free agent market in the coming weeks.

However, Denver is reportedly still working on a new contract for Jackson, but he is believed to be seeking as much as $14 million per year in a new contract.

Miller, 26, played out his four-year, $21 million rookie contract, and is playing out the 2015 season under the fifth-year option the Broncos picked up last year.

In 2015, Miller appeared all 16 games and recorded 35 tackles, 11 sacks, three fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 2 outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense out of 53 qualifying players.

We have Miller featured in our Top 100 – 2016 Free Agents list.