Miller and agent Joby Branion parlayed patience into a record-breaking deal in terms of overall value and guarantees. “I’m going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall”. I want to thank Mr. I’m also thankful for the way my teammates and our fans have supported me.
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The deal follows months of negotiations between Miller’s camp and the team.
Few Super Bowl MVPs in recent memory have been able to parlay their success in a championship game into a new megacontract like Von Miller, who on Friday became the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback. Miller will get a $23 million signing bonus and $42 million guaranteed.
The deal makes the 27-year-old Miller the highest-paid defensive player by average at $19.083 million per year. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who recently signed his own deal, will be getting $87 million guaranteed.
It was also a long-developing situation in which Miller waited to maximize his contract, though. “You find one, develop him and keep him”.
“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”, Elway said in a statement.
If Miller doesn’t take this offer, he’ll have to play next season under the franchise tag, which would be a one-year tender for a bit more than $14 million for the upcoming season. But the two sides have tried, with some starts and stops, to negotiate a long-term deal since the National Football League scouting combine.
A source familiar with the talks told ESPN he was “optimistic” the deal could be done before the Friday 4pm deadline.
Miller has vowed not to play the 2016 season under the franchise tag, which is increasingly looking like a moot point with the megadeal on the table. For weeks there was tension between Miller and the Broncos management but it appears that is done with as the Broncos have locked up Miller for six more years. Both the total value and the guaranteed money exceeded the six-year, $114.375 million with $59.95 million guaranteed the Dolphins gave to defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in 2015.
In 2019, Miller is slated to received $17.5 million in salary and bonuses, again now with an injury-only guarantee, but slated to become fully guaranteed in March 2018.
The contract is the biggest ever signed by a defensive player and $70 million of it will be guaranteed.
Von Miller of the Denver Broncos sets his sights on Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers in the fourth quarter. The Broncos get their star linebacker for the long haul, Von Miller gets the money he has been seeking and can stay in Denver. No other Broncos player has close to half of Miller’s guarantees.
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The pass-rush specialist was handed a six-year contract worth $114.5million, receiving $70m fully guaranteed – a record for non-quarterbacks.
