The deal had to get done as Miller threatened to sit out and not play if a long-term contract couldn’t get reached.
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Both the deal’s overall value and the guaranteed money are records for nonquarterbacks.
That’s nearly double the guaranteed money the Broncos were offering him in June.
Von Miller celebrates after the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in January.
I’m also thankful for the way my teammates and our fans have supported me. That title now belongs to Miller and for the Broncos they needed him back on defense as they are going through a transitional phase at the quarterback position.
“I’m proud of how we’ve handled this situation and give credit to everyone on our staff who helped get this done”.
After days of exactly what we expected – drama, drama, panic, drama, DEAL – Von Miller cashed in, and the Internet went insane as Miller became the highest paid defensive player in National Football League history.
“Von’s earned this contract not only for what he’s done in the past but for what we believe he’ll do in the future”, Broncos general manager John Elway said. He has played his entire five-year career in Denver.
It’s unlikely the Broncos will ever pay Miller $114.5 million, which means the first contract the Broncos put on the table was essentially a two-year deal that would pay him $19.9 million per year. Miraculously, things cleared up between the reigning Super Bowl champs and their star defender, so Miller will be around for a long time to rack up sacks in Denver. In 2012, Miller set the Broncos’ franchise record for sacks in a single season with 18.5, and he was a first-team All-Pro selection. While $70 million guaranteed is a tremendous amount of money, he was low-balled by the Broncos. His Super Bowl 50 performances shows that.
After seeing defensive contemporaries such as Vernon pocket mega-money deals, Miller, who is one of the NFL’s premier players – was entitled to feel that he deserved more. The following year, he tore his ACL in the second-to-last game of the season. Cousins will play next season on the franchise tag. In seven playoff contests, Miller added 31 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, two pass deflections and three run stuffs.
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The deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term extensions was Friday at 4 p.m. ET.
