Von Miller
- Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer expects a decision on LB Von Miller‘s future with the Broncos to be made in the next few days. Miller was in Denver for a medical check this week.
- Breer doesn’t think the Broncos will be okay with paying Miller the $18 million he’d make from them picking up his option.
Broncos
Since signing with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Utah, WR Tim Patrick has exceeded expectations at every opportunity. He was Denver’s most reliable wide receiver in 2020, catching 51 passes for 742 yards and six touchdowns. While at first glance he would appear to be the projected No. 4 receiver on the depth chart behind returning No. 1 Courtland Sutton and 2020 rookies Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, Patrick isn’t planning on letting up now with his approach to the 2021 season.
“The same way I always look at it,” Patrick said via KUSA’s Mike Klis. “I’ve been in this situation the past two years. I usually just do what’s best for the team and I just work hard. I know sooner or later I’m going to get my chance and make sure I’m ready when my number is called. That’s all I can do right now. They have full control of my career right now. I’m just going to let the cards play.”
Patrick is due to be a restricted free agent this offseason and the Broncos will need to decide what tender to place on him. Klis says that while the second-round tender price of $3.38 million is more than teams usually pay for their No. 4 receiver, he doesn’t expect the Broncos to place the original round tender on Patrick and risk losing him for nothing, especially because they view him as their most reliable returning receiver. For his part, Patrick relishes the chance to beat expectations again in 2021.
“I see myself as a No. 1 to be honest,” he said. “When you really look at the nitty-gritty of what I do, I don’t get many chances, but I make the most out of every chance I get. I have the least amount of targets among receivers who have the same amount of yards as me. Just imagine if I would have got 30 more targets I could have easily been a 1,000-yard receiver this year.
“There’s so many different things you’ve got to look at. In my opinion I was never truly given a true test of being a No. 1. People say I was a No. 1 this year just because I didn’t have any drops. But if you really look at it, my plays came from me winning my 1-on-1s. It wasn’t where we had plays drawn up for me going into the game that were going to work. It was kind of me making stuff happen on my own.”
Raiders
- According to the Associated Press, the case involving Raiders’ RB Josh Jacobs is now closed after he completed community service and paid a fine.
- Jacobs had crashed inside a tunnel near Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport and received stitches to his forehead in an accident that occurred shortly after the team’s final regular-season game against the Broncos.
- The Athletic’s Vic Tafur says the Raiders were gearing up for a standoff with RT Trent Brown over a restructure until the Patriots stepped up with a trade offer.
- Tafur adds that the Raiders would like to bring back two out of the group of Gabe Jackson, Richie Incognito and Denzelle Good. They asked Jackson to take a pay cut from $9.35 million down to about $6 million or be released and he gladly took the second option, per Tafur.
- According to Tafur, Las Vegas would like to re-sign Incognito at a lower number and hope to bring back Good as a pending free agent, as he also can back up at tackle.
- Tafur mentions the Raiders are also trying to get QB Marcus Mariota to take a pay cut from his current $10 million salary after attempts to trade him have been unsuccessful.
- As for their plan at right tackle, Tafur believes the team likes the idea of drafting someone to develop as the other bookend to LT Kolton Miller.
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