Von Miller Playing Waiting Game With Broncos
DENVER (The Sports Xchange) - Von Miller and the Denver Broncos have made no progress toward a contract with the July 15 deadline fast approaching.
Miller, designated an exclusive rights franchise free agent, said there is "no chance" he will play the 2016 season on the tag which guarantees a one-year salary of $14.129 million.
"I just think, where we're at right now, everything has been said. Everything is already in the books right now," Miller saif at his charity football camp. "It's just a time for waiting right now. I want all the focus to be on the kids today."
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, any franchise player can sign a long-term deal by July 15, as several players did last summer. Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was one such franchise player. Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, who signed a six-year, $102 million deal, also signed on deadline day last July.
Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP, rejected a six-year, $114.5 million contract earlier this month. The contract would have made Miller the NFL's highest-paid defensive player, edging Houston, Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Houston Texans Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, among others.
The sticking point: guaranteed money.
The six-year contract extension signed by Fletcher Cox with the Eagles last week includes $63 million in guarantees.
Miller is haggling to get more guarantees in his deal, and most of the approximately $39.8 million Denver did guarantee in its most recent offer was spread over two years.
Miller said via Instagram that he won't play 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.
The Broncos can frontload a contract after subtracting Peyton Manning's deal off the books, but have also reinvested in their core personnel, including signing linebacker Brandon Marshall to a $32 million extension. Manning retired after Super Bowl 50 with a weighty cap figure situation ahead.