The Denver Broncos may be riding high today, but it’s going to cost them tomorrow.
There’s a reason the Broncos are in the Super Bowl, and it’s because they’re defense is stacked. Unfortunately, many of those players — including Von Miller, Malik Jackson, Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall — will be free agents this summer, and they’re looking to get paid.
Actually, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, Von Miller may be looking to become the highest-paid defender in NFL history.
If the Broncos were to give Miller what he wanted, they’d be looking at topping the six-year, $114 million contract ($59.95M guaranteed) the Miami Dolphins gave Ndamukong Suh last offseason. And if Von plays anything like he did last weekend during the Super Bowl, John Elway may not have a choice; the Denver Broncos need Von Miller.
The question is whether they’ll lock him down long term this offseason, or stick him with the franchise tag, which would pay Von somewhere around $14 million for the 2016 season, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports.
John Elway should have the funds, though. If the Broncos were to part ways with Peyton Manning, Ryan Clady and DeMarcus Ware this offseason, that would leave them with an additional $38 million in cap space, bringing their total to roughly $51 million; that would be good for third-most in the NFL, via Spotrac.
It’ll take some tough negotiating, but Denver should be able to find a way to bring back all of their desired targets, including Brock Osweiler, and still leave room for improvement.
