Nick already updated his original thread, but I’ll use this one for my gut reaction.
FOR LIFE pic.twitter.com/ayvzpJ1WZh
— Von Miller (@Millerlite40) July 15, 2016
Mike Klis has already broken down the contract details here.
If this holds true, we are looking at what could be an effective four-year deal. That may be the most unprecedented part of this contract. While it’s true others got contracts that kept them around for four years after they signed them extension, they were technically signed when the teams still had years in which they could keep on the roster without having to sign them to extensions. J.J. Watt and Fletcher Cox were each in the fourth year of their rookie deals and the teams having exercised the fifth-year options when they agreed to extensions, so technically their extensions were for two or three years beyond the fifth-year option, but no promises after that.
That Elway is willing to commit to Miller for what may be four years shows how much he valued him, that he would be fine with keeping him for more than just a three-year term that started with the upcoming season.
At the same time, the Broncos were able to keep the salaries reasonable for each year and spread out the money over time, plus they will get Miller’s cap number reduced for this season. That gives them wiggle room to accommodate a contract extension for Emmanuel Sanders while giving them additional cap space to carry over into 2017.
Again, it’s important to remember that the Broncos don’t have any high-dollar players they need to extend in 2017, and given that the Broncos have reached the point that they don’t need to dive deep into free agency, they should be in a good position to manage the cap despite the high cap numbers he will take up.
Now our eyes turn to how Miller will produce in the coming season. Expectations to produce at a high level come with the territory of signing mega-deals. Something tells me, though, that Miller will prove his worth for the next four seasons.
In the meantime, everyone can breathe easier when it comes to “high priority” players getting extended by the Broncos for a season or two. It will be a while before we have to go through these anxieties about “will he or won’t he” regarding such a player sticking around with the Broncos.
ETA: Song dedication for Von Miller… maybe he can find a new sack dance somewhere.
