Von Miller agrees to record-setting contract with the Denver Broncos

A record $70 million is guaranteed in the contract, which came hours before the NFL’s deadline for franchise players at 4 p.m. The sides came to the final numbers of the pact last month with only the guaranteed money serving as the sticking point. The six-year, $140 million contract Luck signed last month includes $75 million fully guaranteed.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP’s deal is worth a reported $114.5 million with $70 million of that guaranteed, reports ESPN.

Miller’s contract has the highest non-quarterback value in the league, trailing just Jay Cutler and Andrew Luck.

Miller is an outside linebacker and the MVP of Super Bowl 50. Had the Broncos and Miller failed to get a new deal done by Friday, and if that were to have led Miller to hold out from training camp and into the regular season, it could have had major ramifications within the locker room.

Miller finished last season with 11 sacks and four forced fumbles.

Miller has proven himself to be one of the greatest exponents of the art of stopping the passing game, delivering a masterful performance in the playoffs, with 2.5 of his five postseason sacks coming as he and the dominant Broncos defense shut down the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50.

FILE – In this February 7, 2016, file photo, Denver Broncos’ Von Miller (58) strips the ball from Ca …

Miller, the second overall pick in the 2011 National Football League draft, has 60 career sacks and has bounced back from a 2013 season that was derailed by a suspension and a knee injury that sidelined him for the Broncos’ Super Bowl loss to Seattle.

Without acknowledging it publicly, Elway’s strong push echoed what most of the team’s fans were thinking: Denver had no chance of repeating as Super Bowl champion without Miller. The way Miller and his representatives played hardball (and won) against having to play on the franchise tag was a major step towards eliminating the extremely team-friendly aspect of the current CBA when it comes time to negotiate the next CBA.

With Miller back in the fold, the league’s top-ranked defense boasts its fangs, pairing him with perennial Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware. Moreover, history would suggest that paying a defensive player or non-quarterback close to $20 million per year doesn’t equate to success in the NFL. On Monday, he said, “I’m not gonna play on the franchise tag”.

Miller and the Broncos faced a deadline on Friday of reaching an agreement on a long-term contract or be forced to play the 2016 season under the franchise tag. Miller was unhappy that details of an offer he rejected in June were leaked to the media, and he responded by saying he would refuse to play under the franchise tag, a threat that represented his only real leverage.

But while Miller could only negotiate with the Broncos, that did not stop him from making things hard. However, it does keep the ball rolling forward for those who are in or near his class. Muhammad Wilkerson and Calais Campbell, for example, are set to be free agents after this season.