NFL Rumors: Von Miller could sit out the whole season

Von Miller faces the option of sitting out the entire season due to a rule in the collective bargaining agreement.

To say that offseason negotiations between the Denver Broncos and Von Miller have been tense is putting it lightly. It started out when he refused to attend the Broncos’ offseason program because he didn’t like being franchise tagged, and then Adam Schefter came out with a report that he rejected a 6-year offer worth $114.5 million.

The reasoning behind that may be because of a little-known loophole in the collective bargaining agreement that Miller might have stumbled upon. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, if Miller sits out the entire 2016 season, the Broncos could franchise tag him again in 2017, but the compensation would drop from two first round picks to a first and a third round pick.

The way non-exclusive franchise tags work, a team can offer a player a deal, and if the original team chooses not to match it, then they will be given two first round picks as a compensation. A first and a third round pick is still a steep price to pay, but there are reportedly three NFL GMs willing to give that up as well as pay Von Miller the $20 million that he’s asking for.

The defending Super Bowl MVP would lose $14 million by sitting out this season, but that decision is made on the basis of him getting more money on the open market. In other words, short term pain for long term gain.

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There’s no shortage of NFL teams that would pay big money for Von Miller’s services, and if the Broncos continue to get unsettled by him, they might be better off accepting the draft picks. While Miller is the cornerstone of their defense, it’s still incredibly deep without him. However, there’s no way they’re going to let him go this easily, so it’ll be fascinating to watch this storyline develop.

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