Denver Broncos need to pay Von Miller what he is worth

Will the Denver Broncos be willing to step up and pay Super Bowl MVP Von Miller what he is worth?

The defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos and star pass rusher Von Miller still appear to be far apart on negotiations over Miller’s contract extension.

The Broncos have reportedly made Miller a significant long-term offer, but considering the major role he had in leading the team to a title down the stretch, Miller holds some leverage here most NFL players do not have.

Denver made a surprising run to the Super Bowl last season on the backs of their defense. While Miller was far from the only good player on the field, he was far and away the most dominant, single-handily impacting every Broncos’ post-season game.

Miller also dominated in the Super Bowl, piling up 2.5 sacks, including a huge forced fumble on a defensive touchdown for the Broncos, and another forced fumble that wrapped up the victory in the fourth quarter.

Miller’s dominance against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers made him the obvious choice for Super Bowl MVP.

While the Broncos franchise-tagged Miller earlier this off season, and have him under contract for 2016 at $14.1 million no matter what, Miller certainly has leverage knowing that the Broncos are not going anywhere in 2016 without his services.

Sure, they would still be a solid NFL team, but the Broncos would not be championship contenders without Miller wreaking havoc on the edge.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Broncos have offered Miller a six-year, $114.5 million extension.

Broncos proposed 6-yr, $114.5M deal to Von Miller that includes $39.8M gtd in first 2 years, per sources close to Denver. No deal in sight.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2016

That may seem like a fair deal on the surface, but the guaranteed money is an issue for Miller and his people.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports did a great job of breaking down the situation.

“The six-year, $114.5 million deal is far less committed than it sounds,” Robinson said. “In reality, the contract can be dumped after only two seasons, meaning the Broncos have offered Miller what amounts to be a two-year deal worth $38.5 million guaranteed. Another $1.3 million in unguaranteed money is earnable between those two seasons via a workout bonus. After that, the rest of the deal can be shed at any point.”

While this is kind of how NFL contracts work for everybody, I cannot blame Miller for going after the guaranteed money he is worth. That $38.5 million in guaranteed money is far less than the $60 million that Ndamukong Suh got from the Miami Dolphins and the $52.5 million Olivier Vernon received from the New York Giants this off season.

Are the Broncos really saying that Miller is not worth as much guaranteed money as Suh or Vernon? Give me a break. I understand John Elway and company using their leverage with the franchise tag, but if they continue to low-ball their star player, they are going to lose him.

The date to keep in mind here is July 15. Before that day, the Broncos and Miller are free to negotiate any long-term contract they wish.

However, at 4 p.m. on July 15, any NFL player under the franchise tag, “may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2016 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular season game,” according to NFL.com.