Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that there’s already buzz around the league other NFL teams have made their potential interest known to Broncos franchise OLB Von Miller should he sit out the 2016 season.
Florio mentions that skipping the upcoming season could be Miller’s best option if he and the Broncos are unable to get a long-term agreement in place before the July 15 deadline.
At that point, the Broncos would not be able to use the exclusive franchise tag on Miller, which means compensation for signing him away from Denver would be reduced down to a first- and a third-round draft pick.
If Miller elects to sit out the 2016 season, Florio says there is already a belief that “significantly more money” will be available to him than what the Broncos are currently offering him, despite the fact that it would cost an interested team draft picks on top of a huge contract to land Miller.
It’s fair to wonder why Miller would pass on making $14 million this season just to get an improved offer next year.
Earlier in the week, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Broncos and Miller have had “minimal communication” in the last 10-12 days or so, and talks have “gone cold” overall.
According to Fowler, the two sides still consider there to be a wide gap in regards to the guaranteed money included in Miller’s next contract. Fowler points out that this really comes down to the structure of the contract, considering that both Denver and the Miller are comfortable with the six-year, $114.5-million setup.
Miller mentioned last week that while he loves his teammates, coaches, and fans, “there is no chance” of him playing out the 2016 season under the franchise tag.
“I love my Teammates, Coaches, and My Fans” but there is “No Chance” I play the 2016 season under the Franchise tag,” Miller wrote.
Miller, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Broncos back in 2011. After playing out his rookie deal, Denver picked up his fifth-year option and later used their franchise tag on Miller this offseason.
He’s now in line to make $15.701 million fully guaranteed for the 2016 season. However, this won’t prevent them from negotiating a long-term deal that would reduce this figure and offer them some additional cap space.
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’ll have more regarding a possible extension for Miller as the news is available.
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