Time to Pony Up for Von: Ryan Edwards

Time to Pony Up For Von

Ryan Edwards

“This situation has gotten so ugly, that you can anticipate that Miller will consider whether he has to ultimately hold out into November of this season to avoid playing an entire year under the 1-year franchise tag. In fact, he may even consider doing it for two straight years and hit free agency after the 2017 season when he would hit the open market free and clear.”

This quote from Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole is likely posturing by Von’s side of things, but for a moment, let’s pretend it’s not. Let’s pretend, that Von would seriously consider sitting out until November and what that could mean for this team. It’s not just about missing his abilities on the field (which would be significant) but also the distraction and fracturing it could do to the locker room. What’s the value of avoiding that to the Broncos?

The process, up until now, seemed very simple for negotiations between the Broncos and their star, Super Bowl MVP, linebacker. The expectation was the Broncos would franchise tag him at $14.1 million in order to buy some time in the contract negotiations and they accomplished that in early March. Then, the expectation by most Denver fans was the team would make him the highest paid linebacker in NFL history, bordering on highest paid defensive player ever. Current reports have the Broncos offering Von roughly $18 million per season which is above Chiefs OLB Justin Houston’s average annual salary of $16.8 million but below Ndamukong Suh’s $19.1 million salary. According to other reports, Von is asking for closer to $22 million per season making the two sides about $20 million apart in negotiations over the course of a 5-year contract.

If the #Broncos and Von Miller don't agree on a long term contract by the start of this season, who do you blame?

— Ryan Edwards (@redwardsradio) April 18, 2016

Often times, when players and teams can’t come to an agreement on a contract, the fan base will blame the player for being too greedy and having an inflated view of his value. In this case, some of the fan base may be siding with Von. It’s possible this is more of an emotional reaction from the fans after watching players like Malik Jackson, Brock Osweiler and Danny Trevathan leave during free agency. After all, the team has taken an approach with these players where contract offers, in every case, were less than market value and in some cases significantly less than what other teams ultimately paid them.

A report from Yahoo.com yesterday detailed an agent’s perspective on John Elway’s and Director of Football Administration Mike Sullivan’s arrogance in their approach to contract negotiations. In the report, the supposition was that DE Derek Wolfe’s below market value contract he signed in January “created an environment where Denver was seeking discounts from all of their free agents.” These reports of arrogance could be considered sour grapes from agents that are frustrated by the Broncos unwillingness to give their clients more money.

For what it’s worth, the Broncos aren’t currently embattled in negotiations with a player on the “open market”. Von has the exclusive rights franchise tag on him meaning there isn’t an option for other teams to match. The Broncos don’t have to care (at least for now) what Von would get on the open market, thus the offer of $18 million is in line with where they view him. On the open market, it’s possible Von could command upwards of $25 million per season with several cap rich teams but thankfully, the Broncos won’t have to go near that number.

So, where do we stand? The fact that this is starting to be played out in public means both sides are digging in and negotiations are certain to last at least until the July 15th deadline. Fans should hope that the focus is to have Von on the field and recognize how important of a role he plays in arguably the best defense in the NFL. Both sides could come to a mean of around $20 million, making Von the highest paid defensive player in NFL history while still not hitting the current mark Miller has reportedly set at $22 million. All seem hopeful that Von and the Broncos can settle their contractual differences without fracturing their relationship in the process. Keeping that relationship intact is paramount because, after all, he is expected to be the center piece on defense for possibly the next decade here in Denver.

Ryan Edwards

@ryanedwards1043

TOP PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports