This week, the contract negotiations between the Denver Broncos and reigning Super Bowl MVP Von Miller have taken an interesting turn. There was a six-year, $114.5 million deal on the table earlier this week, but it has since been rescinded.
Now, things have gotten so bad that Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports says the star linebacker could sit out the 2016-17 NFL season.
Robinson noted Miller’s representatives were happy with the length and overall value of the deal, but they were hoping to restructure the deal in order to lock up more guaranteed money and up to $22 million per year.
“Miller’s representatives requested a continuation of negotiations on the overall structure of the deal, including how much money would be guaranteed. Within that acceptance appears to be a concession of sorts, too. Miller was believed to be seeking more than $22 million per season. The overall money that he accepted from Denver is slightly over $19 million per season,” he wrote.
While it seems highly unlikely Miller will sit out the season and forfeit his $14.1 million franchise tender, but if he is unhappy with negotiations, it is entirely impossible.
In fact, if Miller and his reps are miffed with the way Denver goes about continuing contract talks, sitting out a year would be the best way to guarantee he moves on from the Broncos next season.
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted, “Article 10, Section 15(c) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement provides that the Broncos can’t use the exclusive franchise tender on Miller in 2017 if he doesn’t play in 2016. Also, the compensation another team would be required to give the Broncos if signing Miller to an offer sheet in 2017 would be a first-round and a third-round pick.”
It’s going to be interesting to see how this saga plays out in the coming months.
If the two sides cannot agree to a long-term deal, it appears as though Miller could seriously consider sitting out in order to preserve his body and avoid injury on a one-year deal.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
