Broncos place franchise tag on Von Miller
The Denver Broncos have placed the exclusive franchise tag on outside linebacker Von Miller.
Denver is coming off a Super Bowl win for the third time in franchise history, but there is no rest for general manager John Elway. Elway, who is facing the prospect of multiple top-tier free agents leaving, has placed the exclusive franchise tag on outside linebacker Von Miller, per Albert Breer.
Von Miller franchise tag is officially filed. It is the exclusive tag.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 1, 2016
The difference in the exclusive tag compared to the non-exclusive is that Miller can’t be offered a contract by any other team. If the tag was non-exclusive, another club could negotiate with him and if the Broncos declined to match, they would receive two first-round picks.
Miller will count $14.1 million against the 2016 salary cap for Denver, which seriously hinders its ability to sign Brock Osweiler, Danny Trevathan, C.J. Anderson and Malik Jackson. The number can be lowered if a new deal is reached. However, Elway could also free up $19 million in cap space should Peyton Manning be released or if he retires.
The Broncos also have the option of cutting left tackle Ryan Clady to save $9 million. Currently, Denver is $6.4 million over the cap threshold.
Tagging Miller was the only move for Elway since a long-term deal could not be reached. Miller has 60 career sacks and posted 11 last season before going off in the playoffs. In the Super Bowl, Miller had 2.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. This coming on the heels of his AFC title game performance, which brought another 2.5 sacks and an interception.