Report: Von Miller Shows Up at UCHealth Training Center for In-Person Visit
The Denver Broncos received some good news on Friday when it was reported that the local District Attorney mulling over a criminal investigation done by the Parker P.D. won't be bringing any charges against star pass rusher Von Miller.
With that legal complication out of the way, new GM George Paton is ostensibly freed up to negotiate with Miller on either a new contract or contract restructure. Knowing that Miller's future won't be marred or complicated by an ongoing criminal investigation opens up all sorts of possibilities for the Broncos.
Cut to Monday and Miller was reportedly at UCHealth Training Center — for what purpose, we do not know. Suffice to say, speculation is rampant.
"Von Miller is at Broncos headquarters, per player source. He is saying hello to teammates, coaches and personnel staff, including new GM George Paton," 9NEWS' Mike Klis tweeted on Monday.
Last Thursday, Paton himself made it plain that while the then-ongoing investigation by local authorities was a serious situation to monitor, the Broncos want Miller back in the Orange and Blue in 2021.
“We want to bring Von back and we’re still working through that. I don’t want to get into everything, but we want to bring him back," Paton said. "Obviously, the legal process and what he’s going through, it’s a serious situation. I don’t know all of the details, but we respect what’s going on. We do want Von back.”
On the heels of Paton's remarks was an interesting report by NFL Network's James Palmer. Palmer revealed that head coach Vic Fangio, whom the new GM finds to be a "like-minded" kindred spirit, has helped his new front-office counterpart "envision" a Broncos edge-rushing duo that features Miller and Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb.
Considering Miller's penchant for passive-aggressive social media antics, which have made plain his position during contract negotiations in years past, it can and should be viewed as nothing but a good sign that the eight-time Pro Bowler opted to show up to Broncos HQ in the flesh.
Whether Miller's appearance is directly linked to a new deal we do not know at this time. But it certainly hints toward that, or, at the very least, creates the optics (of which Miller is always hyper-aware) that a new accord could be imminent.
Miller is entering his age-32 season coming off a 2020 campaign lost entirely to an ankle injury. The Broncos hold a team option on what is the final year of the mega-extension Miller received back in 2016 after helping the Broncos win Super Bowl 50.
If the Broncos decide to bite the bullet and pick up the option, Miller will earn a $17.5 million base salary in 2021. With the salary cap plummeting to around $180M this year as a result of the pandemic's impact on NFL revenue, Paton reportedly is seeking more wiggle room and reworking Miller's contract, whether that's in the form of an extension that adds years and defers cap hits into the future or a restructure, would do the trick.
With the legal tampering period that leads up to the opening of NFL free agency beginning next week on March 15, Paton has to be working quickly to get the Miller situation locked up. If Miller is on the roster at the beginning of the new league year, a $7M guarantee against his 2021 salary will kick in.
Chop, chop, Mr. Paton. Stay tuned.
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