The Denver Broncos received good news on Friday, when it was reported that the local district attorney reflecting on a criminal investigation conducted by Parker PD would not bring any charges against the famous pass rusher Von Miller.
With this legal complication out of the way, the new GM George Paton is ostensibly free to negotiate with Miller for a new contract or a restructuring of the contract. Knowing that Miller’s future will not be harmed or complicated by an ongoing criminal investigation opens up all sorts of possibilities for the Broncos.
Cut to Monday and Miller was supposed to be at the UCHealth Training Center – for what purpose, we don’t know. Suffice it to say that speculation is rampant.
“Von Miller is at the Broncos headquarters, by player source. He is saying hello to teammates, coaches and staff, including the new GM George Paton,” 9NEWS‘Mike Klis tweeted on Monday.
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Last Thursday, Paton himself made it clear that while the investigation underway by local authorities was a serious situation to monitor, the Broncos want Miller back to Orange and Blue in 2021.
“We want to bring Von back and we are still working on it. I don’t want to go into everything, but we want to bring it back, “said Paton.” Obviously, the legal process and what it is going through is a serious situation. I don’t know all the details, but we respect what’s going on. We want Von back. “
In the wake of Paton’s comments, an interesting report came from James Palmer of the NFL Network. Palmer revealed that coach Vic Fangio, whom the new GM considers to be a “similar” soul mate, helped his new front-office colleague “imagine” a rash Broncos duo featuring Miller and Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb.
Considering Miller’s tendency towards passive-aggressive social media antics, which made his position clear during contract negotiations in previous years, this can and should be seen as nothing more than a good sign that the eight-time Pro Bowler has chosen to appear at Broncos HQ in the flesh.
Whether Miller’s appearance is directly linked to a new business, we don’t know at the moment. But it certainly suggests that, or at least creates the view (of which Miller is always hyperconscious) that a new deal may be imminent.
Miller is entering his 32-year season, coming out of a 2020 campaign totally lost to an ankle injury. The Broncos have a team option in what is the last year of the mega-extension Miller received in 2016 after helping the Broncos win the Super Bowl 50.
If the Broncos decide to bite the bullet and choose the option, Miller will earn a base salary of $ 17.5 million in 2021. With the salary cap dropping to around $ 180 million this year as a result of the pandemic’s impact on NFL revenue , Paton is supposed to seek more room for maneuver and redo Miller’s contract, whether in the form of an extension that adds years and postpones the limit to the future or a restructuring, would solve the problem.
With the period of legal adulteration leading to the opening of the free NFL agency starting next week, on March 15, Paton has to work quickly to end Miller’s situation. If Miller is on the list at the start of the new league year, a $ 7 million guarantee against his 2021 salary will begin.
Chop, chop, Mr. Paton. Stay tuned.
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