INDIANAPOLIS — Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has exchanged contract proposals with the agent for Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller as the two sides near agreement on a deal that is expected to make Miller one of the highest paid players in the NFL.
“I think we’re in the ballpark, at least I believe so. I probably shouldn’t say that until we talk to (Miller’s agent Joby Branion) tomorrow, but I think we’re in the ballpark,” Elway said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine.
Miller is expected to receive a deal similar to, or exceeding, the six-year, $101 million contract Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston signed last July. Houston’s deal included $52.5 million guaranteed.
Elway couldn’t commit to a timeline for finishing a deal with Miller, though retaining the team’s best defensive player is clearly their top offseason priority. Should the sides not finalize a deal by March 1, the Broncos would place the franchise tag on Miller.
But Elway said he’s encouraged about the progress both sides have made, as negotiations have thus far lived up to the prediction Miller made the morning after his MVP performance in the Super Bowl that his contract talks would be “peaceful.”
“I’m excited about it. You know, it has been positive,” Elway said.
Should the Broncos and Miller reach a deal by the March 1 deadline, the team would then have the option to use the franchise tag on another player, possibly defensive end Malik Jackson.
“I think anything is possible. We think about those type of things and don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but that’s always a possibility,” Elway said.
