There are no two words in the sports dictionary that make me cringe more than “franchise tag”. So, when Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller posted on his Instagram Thursday that there is “No Chance” he’d play under the franchise tag next season, I was filled with smug satisfaction — and reminded how ridiculous the concept of the franchise tag really is. To an outsider, myself included, Miller’s rejection of the Broncos’ offer was baffling, at first. A six-year, $114.5 million contract (reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter) would have me whipping out my pen and asking where to sign. Yet, the Super Bowl 50 MVP wasn’t so eager to put pen to paper. While the offer was the largest contract for a defensive player in NFL history, it lacked in the guaranteed money area. …show more content…
While that may seem like a hefty sum, Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles just signed a monumental six-year deal on Monday, which guarantees him nearly $56 million of his $103 million contract within nine months of signing. And while Cox’s 2015 season was impressive, it certainly wasn’t the 11 sack, Super Bowl-caliber season Miller had last year. So, it’s easy to see why the Broncos pass rusher feels slighted. And how have the Broncos handled Miller? They’ve already peeled the figurative sticky backing off their “exclusive” franchise tag and slapped Miller with it in March. It’s one of the ultimate signs of disrespect in sports, in my opinion anyway. If the Broncos and Miller don’t work out a deal by July 15, his salary will be far from shabby ($14.129 million for 2016). The pay, however, isn’t the part that bothers me the most. It’s the lack of