After missing all of the 2020 season with an ankle injury, Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller has a club option in his contract this spring. If the Broncos don’t pick up that option, Miller would become a free agent and Denver would be left with a dead cap hit of $4.225 million and a net savings of $18 million.
It would be sad for fans to see the team move on from Miller but it’s also unlikely that the team will be willing to pay him $18 million when the edge defender will be 32 years old and coming off a serious injury. Miller also only totaled eight sacks when he was healthy in 2019.
The most likely scenario is a restructured contract. The Broncos will likely try to work out a new deal with Miller this offseason, lowering his salary and added a few more seasons to his contract. While he is no longer the general manager, John Elway will still play a role in the Miller decision.
“Yeah, I’ll be involved in that and we’ll see which direction [we go],” Elway said Monday. “We’d love to have Von finish his career here. He’s been a great Bronco for a long, long time, and that will be one of the big decisions we have in the offseason. The goal is to get Von back and have him end his career here.”
Miller has totaled 106 sacks in his career, the most in franchise history. He was poised to have a bounceback year in 2020 before suffering an injury right before the season started.
“I think one of the most disappointing things of this season was when he went down, because I really, really thought he was going to have a really good season for us and for himself,” coach Vic Fangio said on Jan. 1. “He put a lot of time and effort into the offseason. He had a great vision and focus, and I think if he does the same thing this offseason that he did last offseason, that he can get back to that same point.”
Much like quarterback Drew Lock, Miller has an uncertain future.
Leave a Reply