ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sports are funny, sometimes.
Von Miller WON Super Bowl 50 for the Broncos. We’re talking single-handed domination in how his strip-sack fumbles against Carolina quarterback Cam Newtown led to 14 points in the Broncos’ 14-point win.
For his reward, the Broncos made the pass-rushing Miller the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history with a six-year, $114.5 million contract.
What happened next?
The Broncos have yet to made the postseason, much less win a Super Bowl, through the first four seasons of Miller’s deal. He and the team will get another chance in year 5 as the Broncos picked up the $6 million option on Miller’s $17.5 million salary in 2020.
Team general manager John Elway said back on December 30 he would pick up Miller’s option and that has come true. Elway also picked up the $1 million option on kicker Brandon McManus’ $3 million salary in 2020 and $500,000 option on inside linebacker Todd Davis’ $5 million salary.
Both McManus and Davis are entering the final year of the three-year contract extensions each received in 2018.
McManus received a three-year, $11.254 million extension in the hours prior to the Broncos’ 2018 season opener and Davis received a three-year, $15 million extension.
Miller played on a $9.754 million fifth-year option when he became the Super Bowl 50 MVP. In the four years since while drawing an average of $19.625 million per year, he has accumulated 46.0 sacks – 11.5 per season. But with Broncos starting eight different quarterbacks in the past four seasons, Miller hasn’t been able to lead his team back to the playoffs.
If Chris Harris Jr. and Derek Wolfe depart for free agency – and that seems to be the way to bet – the three option pickups Friday represent the three remaining active players from the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 team. (Jeff Heuerman missed the entire 2015 season with a knee injury. Corey Nelson has already been told he will not return).
Besides Miller, who had 5.0 sacks combined in the Broncos’ AFC Championship Game win against Tom Brady and the Patriots and Super Bowl victory to cap the 2015 season, McManus went 10 of 10 in field goals during Denver’s postseason run and Davis was a core special teams player that year.
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