Denver Broncos GM John Elway has been spoiled in contract negotiations, no matter what way you look at it. It can’t cost him Von Miller…
As the Denver Broncos and GM John Elway attempt to get star pass rusher Von Miller locked up to a long-term contract, it’s become abundantly clear that Elway has been spoiled in negotiations prior to this one.
Not that us fans are complaining.
Elway’s frugality — if you would be so bold to call it that — has been an incredible key to the success of this team. He’s managed to bring in players like T.J. Ward on a four-year deal worth about $5.7 million per season.
That makes him the 16th highest paid safety in the league in average earnings per season, and especially considering how hot a commodity Ward was as a free agent in 2014, that price point is an absolute bargain.
Consider also the contracts of Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr., unquestionably the best duo of cornerbacks in the NFL today. They are making $18 million this season combined where Josh Norman, who signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins, is making $15 million this season.
Talib and Harris rank 12th and 17th in the NFL in terms of APY salary for cornerbacks in the NFL.
The list could continue on and on and on. John Elway doesn’t pay top dollar for free agent players because he doesn’t have to.
The one exception there is 2015 franchise player Demaryius Thomas, who is currently the fourth highest paid receiver in the league and only $1M per year off of A.J. Green’s average.
Even Peyton Manning, arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time, signed with the Denver Broncos to an incredibly reasonable contract that essentially was a year-to-year commitment contingent upon the Broncos passing Manning at a physical.
The team controlled him, but Elway gave him his guaranteed salary.
That didn’t stop him from asking Manning to take the first incentivized restructure in a contract he’s ever done in his NFL career.
Manning obliged.
Elway is able to completely remove any and all emotion, it seems, when it comes to free agent negotiations. He sells winning and the culture of Denver better than anyone in the league, which is why there are so many elite players playing at below-market prices in the city of Denver today.
With that being said, Elway is going to have to do the same thing he did with Demaryius Thomas last year and swallow his pride before offering Von Miller another contract proposal.
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Miller is an elite player in this league, and has done everything the Broncos could have asked or wanted of him since he was drafted in 2011. The road has been bumpy along the way, sure, but Miller is a rare talent and John Elway obviously knows that. Although Miller doesn’t have much leverage in contract negotiations — other than forfeiting money and sitting out games — the Broncos don’t need to exploit that lack of leverage by disrespecting Miller.
He deserves the status of highest paid defender in the NFL. He deserves to be courted as a top out-of-house unrestricted free agent.
So why aren’t the Broncos doing that?
If this were the opening of unrestricted free agency, and the Broncos had only a small window to make Miller an offer, what would they pay him? Approach him and respect him in that way.
Otherwise, this distraction will last well into the season.