Denver Broncos Insider: All GM Finalists Reportedly Approaching Von Miller About Contract Restructuring

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The Denver Broncos have a big decision to make on the GM front. Three finalists were reduced to just two in George Paton of Minnesota and Terry Fontenot of New Orleans, both of whom won a second interview on Tuesday.

With the hiring of a general manager, this new Broncos executive faces several big decisions, not the least of which is what to do about Von Miller. Miller is set to enter his 32-year-old season and is recovering from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the entire 2020 season.

Creating a bottleneck for the new CEO is Miller’s contract. As the eight-time Pro Bowler enters the final year of his contract, it’s an option year; That means the Broncos can choose whether or not to extend him or let him hit the bricks and become an unrestricted free agent.

John Elway has expressed optimism that he wants to keep Miller in the Orange and Blue, but the hiring of a new GM will take that prerogative off his plate. Elway will, of course, be keen to be consulted on any “big” decision, but ultimately what to do with Miller is a call the new guy will have full authority to make.

In a radio interview with 104.3 The fan Monday, 9 NEWSBroncos insider Mike Klis reported on the team’s GM candidates’ perspective on Miller’s situation in the first wave of interviews. For one man, each professed the priority of finding a way to keep Pro Bowl Justin Simmons safe in Denver, but the sight of Miller was a little more, let’s say, complicated.

“All of those GMs, when they were interviewing, almost all of them tried to say, ‘Try to get Justin Simmons – Justin Simmons has to be a priority to get him back.’ Find out how to get Justin Simmons back, ”said Klis The reader welcomes Darren McKee and Tyler Polumbus. “And Von, the feeling was, ‘Try to bring it down to a… see if we can find a new contract.’ You can’t bring it down to 18 (million dollars). But I think that was enough what all GMs thought of these two players.

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Keep in mind that Klis didn’t specify which GM had which specific point of view on Miller, only that the consensus seemed to focus on the Broncos seeking some sort of restructuring with the aging rusher.

Miller is set to command a base salary of $ 17.5 million with a practice bonus of $ 500,000 in 2021. Added, the Broncos would be on the hook for $ 18 million if Miller’s option was exercised.

What Klis reported is that every GM candidate would want to keep Miller in Denver, but not at this price. The problem is, Miller was not even willing to discuss the subject of restructuring his contract when he was publicly pressed on the matter.

However, if the new GM implemented an extension that lowered Miller’s cap while adding new years to the length of the deal, the Broncos could keep it and postpone the cap into the future – spreading the financial responsibility across. the weather.

Miller should be open to the idea, of course. And if he was presented correctly, maybe he would agree to an extension, even if it meant moving some of his money into the future.

However, if the new CEO comes along and tries to get Miller to simply agree to a pay cut, there’s a good chance it won’t work. Miller may have missed out on 2020 and his 2019 season, despite a nod at the Pro Bowl, fell short of his standard set over the years – but he’s still Von Miller.

That influence, even with his age and recent injury, will open the checkbooks of many NFL teams looking for a veteran passer to come and get the quarterback. If the Broncos can’t find a way to pay him off, someone else will.

At the same time, Miller has been a Bronco for 10 years and the lifespan of pass rushers quickly reaches the point of diminishing returns after 30 years. If the new GM were to find a way to structure an expansion that recognized Miller for the talent he still is while somewhat shielding the team from the whims of Father Time, Miller could be open to such a deal if it allowed him to. to do. retire as a Bronco at some point in the relative near future.

Former Indianapolis Colts timekeeper Dwight Freeney played until the age of 37, almost 38, although the last six years of his career were spent as a one-year mercenary with five teams different from the NFL. Miller’s mentor DeMarcus Ware played until the age of 34 before his body dropped him in Denver.

We don’t know how long Miller plans to play, but there is a way to make him happy, recognize his huge contributions to Broncos canon and keep him in Orange and Blue until he hangs up his boots. , while protecting the team on the salary cap. But it takes two to tango, as they say.

Speculation will continue until a new CEO is hired. From there, it won’t be long before Broncos Country knows what the future holds for the Super Bowl 50 MVP. One thing seems certain, however; Elway will not be the driving force behind the decision the Broncos make with Miller.

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