Written by Charles Robinson at YahooSports.com
Less than two months ago, a significant contract impasse cratered the relationship between cornerback Josh Norman and the Carolina Panthers. Now it’s starting to look like Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and the Denver Broncos are stepping into a similar hole.
The contract impasse between Miller and the Broncos took a seemingly personal wrong turn in the past 48 hours, so much so that the two sides can’t seem to agree on who triggered it. Miller rejected a six-year, $114.5 million deal at some point between Monday night and Wednesday morning, according to the Broncos. Sources close to Miller, however, told Yahoo Sports that the player actually accepted two significant parts of Denver’s offer on Monday night: specifically, the length of the contract (six years) and the overall money ($114.5 million).
Along with that acceptance, Miller’s representatives requested a continuation of negotiations on the overall structure of the deal, including how much money would be guaranteed. Within that acceptance appears to be a concession of sorts, too. Miller was believed to be seeking more than $22 million per season. The overall money that he accepted from Denver is slightly over $19 million per season.
The structure of Miller’s deal is paramount. And now it has ballooned into an undermining factor. The guaranteed money is apparently where everything fell apart between the two sides. And it appears to have gotten much worse since, to the point that there is now a possibility that Miller could sit out the 2016 season entirely.
How did it get this dire? Go straight to the numbers. The six-year, $114.5 million deal is far less committed than it sounds. In reality, the contract can be dumped after only two seasons, meaning the Broncos have offered Miller what amounts to be a two-year deal worth $38.5 million guaranteed. Another $1.3 million in unguaranteed money is earnable between those two seasons via a workout bonus. After that, the rest of the deal can be shed at any point.
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