Latest On Broncos, Von Miller
Von Miller went dancing with the stars, but will he be running with the Broncos in 2016? Right now, it doesn’t sound like much progress has been made in contract talks between the two sides. Miller and the Broncos have not engaged in contract negotiations since early June, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter). 
[RELATED: Broncos, Emmanuel Sanders Exchange Contract Figures]
Early June was right around the time when Miller turned down a six-year, $114.5MM deal from Denver. In theory, the total value of that deal would have edged out the free agent contract signed by Ndamukong Suh, but Miller’s camp balked at the cash flow of the deal and the relatively paltry $39.8MM guaranteed in the first two years. The Broncos were said to have pulled the offer from Miller (which doesn’t mean much) while the outside linebacker claims that he will hold out if he does not get a suitable offer rather than play under the $14MM+ one-year franchise tender.
If Miller opts to sit out the 2016 season, the Broncos will only be able to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on him and will not have the exclusive franchise tag at their disposal. Furthermore, because of the holdout, the compensation for a team signing Miller would drop from two first-round picks to a first and a third. No team is eager to surrender a first- and third-round pick, of course, but that’s an easier pill to swallow and a price that at least a few teams should be willing to pay.
In a Twitter poll on Thursday, 31% of PFR readers said that Miller would be the first of four high-profile franchise-tagged players to sign a long term deal. Chiefs safety Eric Berry (29%) was a close second, followed by Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins and Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (20% each).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL To Interview Players Named In PED Doc
2:41pm: The players in question are and have been willing to submit to interviews, but things have been delayed due to the bureaucratic differences between the two sides on the scope of the interviews and other factors relevant to the process, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The NFLPA is concerned about the precedent that these interviews could set, given the credibility issues that have been raised about the documentary. Going forward, the union is concerned that something as arbitrary as accusations of drug use via social media could lead to league examination, which is the type of thing the NFLPA does not want to invite.
12:09pm: The NFL has informed the NFLPA that league officials will show up on the first day of training camp to interview three players named in the Al-Jazeera America documentary linking them to performance enhancing drugs, according to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. 
[RELATED: NFL, NFLPA Clashing Over PED Investigation]
Packers linebackers Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews and Steelers linebacker James Harrison are all scheduled for interviews the day camps open. For Peppers and Matthews, that means interviews on July 26th. The Steelers, meanwhile, open camp on July 29th. Former Packers linebacker Mike Neal is currently without a team, but he’ll be interviewed on or before July 22nd, per the letter.
Conspicuously absent from the notice, however, is any mention of former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. However, a source tells Pelissero that the investigation into Manning’s involvement is ongoing.
Since Manning is no longer an active player, he cannot be forced to speak to the league about the accusations though, by the same token, he is free to discuss anything he wants with the league without being hindered by the NFLPA. However, Manning is reportedly hoping to hold a front office position at some point, and that could motivate him to discuss things with the NFL.
Neal, meanwhile, still wants to play football and he believes that the documentary has “heavily, heavily, heavily, heavily, heavily” influenced his extended free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Other Teams Floating Von Miller Offers For 2017?; Experts Skeptical Miller Will Sit Out Season
Thanks to the Broncos being the first team in four years to deploy the exclusive franchise tag, they don’t technically have to worry about outside suitors driving up Von Miller‘s price. But Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has been hearing “buzz” that other teams may have made their interest in Miller known via roundabout methods, even if he wouldn’t be available to play for another team until 2017. Miller sitting out this season would create a scenario where the compensation price for the outside linebacker would drop to a first- and third-round pick, if he is once again tagged.
Teams could be floating prospective offers out there and become figurative competition in order to keep Miller unsigned past July 15 and possibly land a knockout blow to the Broncos’ No. 1-ranked defense, Florio posits. However, this time next year, Miller would be one year older and coming off of a lost season. Therefore, any dollar figures out there right now aren’t rooted in the reality 2017 could potentially present.
- The above scenario meaning Miller sacrifices $14.26MM now in order to earn a few million extra in guaranteed money next year doesn’t make sense for the Super Bowl MVP, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap tweets. While it’s certainly possible Miller could recoup more than $14MM in guaranteed money from another team next spring, that team would have to give the Broncos a first- and third-rounder, assuming they use the franchise tag again. And barring some unforeseen development, Miller will likely be on the Broncos for at least three more seasons if he agreed to the aforementioned deal and receive the money he’s seeking as the contract plays out.
- A prospective Miller-less 2016 also strikes TheMMQB.com’s Andrew Brandt as implausible. He remains confident the Broncos and Miller will come to an agreement on July 14 or 15. The Broncos raising the guarantee or increasing the cash flow in the first three years represent ways to bridge the gap, Brandt writes, with both sides having essentially agreed on the total value of the deal.
- Less than two months after the Broncos cut Richard Gordon, the journeyman tight end looks to have made a potential route back to the NFL difficult. Gordon was arrested on charges of battery and battery on a law enforcement officer, Brian Hamacher of NBCMiami.com reports. A police report indicates a passerby observed a man punching a woman and push her out of an SUV. The woman, who told police she lives with the 29-year-old Gordon, said he punched her arm several times and slapped her in the face. The Broncos cut Gordon three times since last October but re-signed the blocking tight end in February. Gordon’s seen game action for four teams, previously spending time with the Raiders, Titans and Chiefs.
Mark Kiszla On Von Miller
Few in the NFL expect superstar linebacker Von Miller to sit out the season if he and the Broncos don’t resolve their contract dispute, writes Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post, but Kiszla believes doing so in protest of the franchise tag could revolutionize the NFL. If Miller eschews the $14MM tag, skips the 2016 campaign and signs elsewhere next offseason with a team willing to treat him like a full partner – as LeBron James is with the Cleveland Cavaliers, notes Kiszla – it could have a significant impact on the league, the writer opines. However, given Miller’s love for Denver, Kiszla expects the Super Bowl 50 MVP and the franchise to ultimately reach a long-term accord by the July 15 deadline.
Broncos Not For Sale
The National Hockey League officially announced its expansion into Las Vegas on Wednesday, which could affect the NFL – and the Raiders, to be more specific. The Raiders have been working to relocate to Vegas if they fail to come up with a stadium solution in Oakland, though there has been concern historically about placing a pro sports franchise in a city built on gambling. However, as evidenced by the NHL’s decision, sports commissioners are less and less worried about gambling as a factor, per Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Now, with the NHL having taken the plunge into Vegas, the door has opened that much more for the Raiders to do the same.
For more on the NHL’s 31 franchises, bookmark the newly launched Pro Hockey Rumors and follow PHR on Twitter.
Elsewhere around the NFL…
- Bengals linebacker Karlos Dansby has tried to recruit free agent safety Donte Whitner to Cincinnati, he told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday (Twitter link via Alex Marvez). The rebuilding Browns released Dansby in March and Whitner in April after the two played together in Cleveland from 2014-15. Given the Bengals’ situation at safety, odds are seemingly against the 31-year-old Whitner joining them as anything but a backup – for which he’s overqualified. As Roster Resource shows, the team has expensive, in-their-prime starters in George Iloka and Shawn Williams.
- In his interview with SiriusXM, Dansby also opened up about his experience with the 3-13 Browns last season (via Dan Hanzus of NFL.com). “The coaches and the front office, there was just a lot of mess going on, a lot of things going on, a lot of distractions.” Dansby said, referring to the coaching staff Mike Pettine was at the helm of and the Ray Farmer-led front office. The 13th-year man added that his teammates “had just shut down” after a certain point, which would help to explain Cleveland’s 1-10 finish. The Browns moved on from both Pettine and Farmer at the end of the season, of course, and have begun a new era with ex-Bengals assistant Hue Jackson atop the coaching staff and Sashi Brown leading the front office.
- Three of Broncos owner Pat Bowlen’s seven children – John Michael Bowlen, Brittany Bowlen and Jane Elizabeth Bowlen Wallace – are no longer employees of the organization, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. That doesn’t mean a sale of the franchise is in the works, though. “No plans for the sale of the team. The hope remains to keep the Broncos in the Bowlen family,” Broncos vice president of communications Patrick Smyth tweeted in response to a Pro Football Talk report on Wednesday. PFT’s Mike Florio is skeptical, however, noting that “hope” isn’t a guarantee and one of Bowlen’s children will eventually have to show why he or she is worthy of taking control of the Broncos. In the meantime, with Pat Bowlen having resigned as the Broncos’ CEO in 2014 because of his battle with Alzheimer’s, the team will remain in a trust and president Joe Ellis will continue running the operation.
Renck Expects Broncos, Miller To Reach Deal
- The Broncos and superstar linebacker Von Miller are embroiled in a well-publicized contract battle and haven’t engaged in much dialogue over the last week and a half, but Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the two to get a deal done before the July 15 deadline. It’s going to take more than $63MM in guarantees for that to happen, Renck acknowledges.
No Talks For Broncos, Miller In Recent Days
Von Miller and Broncos have had “minimal communication in the last 10-12 days or so,” according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Facebook). As previously reported, the two sides still have a wide gap to bridge when it comes to guaranteed money and Von Miller is still exploring the idea of holding out if he does not get the deal that he is after. If Miller sits out and the Broncos tag him again next offseason, the compensation to sign him drops from two first-round picks to one first-round pick and one third-round pick. That’s still a hefty price to pay on top of the actual monster contract Miller will command, but there should be at least a few teams willing to go to that length.
Broncos, Sanders Exchange Contract Figures
The Broncos and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders have each submitted contract proposals, reports Mike Klis of 9NEWS (Twitter link), elaborating on his report earlier this month that Denver was engaged in extension talks with both Sanders and linebacker Brandon Marshall. Marshall agreed to a four-year, $32MM deal last week, and it looks as though Sanders could be the next Bronco to be extended, as sources recently told Connor Orr of NFL.com that Sanders is expected to be the next wideout to land a new deal.
[RELATED: Broncos LB Von Miller threatens holdout]
The 29-year old Sanders is currently earning an average salary of $5MM as part of a three-year pact he signed prior to the 2014 season. The Broncos don’t have much 2016 cap space left (roughly $4.6MM), but they do have an ample amount in 2017, as their ~$63.2MM is currently second-most in the league. Denver general manager John Elway said earlier this year that the “ideal” scenario would be to lock up Sanders, Marshall, and Von Miller by mid-July, so the club is currently one-third of the way towards meeting that goal.
Sanders, for his part, has indicated that he’d like to retire as a Bronco, a claim that’s unsurprising given his success in the Mile High City over the past two seasons. Since 2014, Sanders has caught 177 passes for more than 2,500 yards, scoring 15 touchdowns during that time. Those numbers rank eighth, sixth, and 16th among all NFL wide receivers over that span, while Sanders places seventh in Pro Football Reference’s approximate value metric during that period.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mark Sanchez Still Looks Like Week 1 Starter; Possible Alternative For Von Miller
Trevor Siemian, the Broncos‘ presumptive No. 2 quarterback, was more consistent in many ways than presumptive starter Mark Sanchez during the team’s OTAs and minicamp, and given that head coach Gary Kubiak said in his offseason-ending press conference last week that Sanchez and Siemian are in a virtual tie for the starting job, there has been some speculation that Siemian could be under center when Week 1 rolls around. But Mike Klis of 9News.com, while acknowledging Siemian’s strong performance, agrees with the prevailing consensus that, unless Sanchez completely flops in the first two games of the preseason–which is a distinct possibility–his experience will force Kubiak’s hand and he will be named the starter prior to the all-important third preseason contest.
- Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says that a long-term deal between Von Miller and the Broncos remains the most likely outcome, but if the July 15 deadline for a new contract comes and goes, the two sides could work out an alternative one-year agreement that provides Miller with a little more incentive to sign. For instance, the team could promise to not use the tag on Miller again in 2017, which means that Miller, assuming he is willing to risk injury/ineffectiveness in 2016–while earning the full $14.129MM of the franchise tender in the process–would be guaranteed to hit the open market and get his big payday in 2017. If stubbornness prevails and there is no new deal by July 15, that currently unlikely scenario suddenly becomes more plausible.
Tyler Polumbus Retired Due To Neck, Back Injuries
- Peyton Manning wasn’t the only Broncos cog to make a mid-game entrance during the team’s seminal Week 17 victory over the Chargers last season. Tyler Polumbus replaced an ineffective Michael Schofield at right tackle when Manning entered in the third quarter. But the two-time Bronco did not keep that spot in the playoffs, with Schofield reclaiming the job; Polumbus then retired after in April. But in an expansive piece on former Broncos tight end Jeb Putzier‘s struggle stemming from the concussions he sustained while playing in Denver during the 2000s, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports the now-31-year-old Polumbus retired because of an MRI that showed a herniated disc in his neck and four degenerated discs in his lower back that, per Polumbus, caused significant pain last season. He collected a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos after the team, which initially added him as a UDFA in 2008, brought him aboard as a waiver claim early last season.