On Thursday, Von Miller posted on his Instagram that there is “No Chance” he plays the 2016 season under the franchise tag, which begs the question: If the worst were to happen and Miller did sit out next season, who gets the blame, Miller or John Elway?
While joining Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro on the Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1340 | FM 104.7, former Broncos safety Nick Ferguson made it very clear who deserves the blame.
“The fingers are going to be turned away from Von and more towards the organization,” said Ferguson. “You only have so much money to go out and keep your guys, or even acquire guys in free agency and then sign your draft choices. Tough decisions have to be made, but if you want to successful in the league, it’s been a proven thing.”
This debate is not just for the experts. 9News conducted a poll asking fans who should take the blame if Von Miller sits out next season, and here are the results so far:
John Elway — 40%
Both — 37%
Von Miller — 21%
Neither — 2%.
It looks like the fans agree with Ferguson: Elway should take the blame. But it also shows that the fans think someone is to blame, because only two percent said neither.
There’s now a little less than a month until the July 15 deadline for long-term contracts, and if a deal does not get done, heads will role, one way or another.
And with the massive contract Fletcher Cox just received from the Philadelphia Eagles — six years $102.6 million, with $63 million guaranteed — Miller looks to have more leverage than ever. He’s already been offered a $114.5 million contract but rejected the offer because the guaranteed money was under $40 million.
“When you look at the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFC have just been throwing boat loads of money,” Ferguson said, “if you’re Von Miller and your agent, you’re sitting around and saying ‘well listen, I’m the Super Bowl MVP.'”
Elway may be taking the blame because Miller’s PR team has been very savvy over the last few days. But Elway and the Broncos are no slouches in the media game themselves.
Here’s who you say is winning the battle…
POLL: Who's winning the PR battle between the Von Miller camp and the Broncos?
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) June 17, 2016
Listen to the full conversation with Nick Ferguson in the podcast below …
Catch Afternoon Drive with Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro every Monday through Friday from 4-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7, or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
