Believe it or not, it’s been more than three weeks since the Broncos’ win in Super Bowl 50, and to be sure, those intervening 24-or-so days haven’t been short on Orange & Blue-tinted news.
So what better time than to dust off our annual offseason staple and pair a bottom line with some of the more noteworthy headlines of late?
Enjoy …
Headline: Broncos place exclusive franchise tag on Von Miller, who insists he wants to play his entire career in the Mile High City
Bottom line: Speaking on NFL Network earlier this week, Miller quickly made it clear how much he relishes the company of his current teammates and how he’s like to keep the current Broncos’ bunch intact as long as possible. Well, hey, not to drift into Captain Obvious waters, but the best way for the Super Bowl 50 MVP to do so is to accept as big of a hometown discount as possible on his impending long-term deal. Ultimately, what’s more important to Miller: Keeping the band together or seeing how high you can set the highest-paid-defensive-player bar? Miller and the Broncos already took one step in the not-so-favorable direction by having to go the franchise-tag route as it’s a designation that could’ve been used on defensive end Malik Jackson.
Headline: As Miller was tagged Tuesday, it was immediately assumed by many that Brock Osweiler is steaming straight toward the open free-agent market next week
Denver tagging Von Miller means QB Brock Osweiler gets to market. As does DE Malik Jackson. Going to get interesting.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2016
Bottom line: Didn’t get this “foregone” conclusion at the time, and I still don’t grasp it even through we’re now a day closer to the negotiating window’s opening bell next Monday. All Tuesday’s announcement meant is that Osweiler didn’t get tagged – a less-than-ideal situation for the Broncos anyway given the QB tag price of nearly $20 million. A lot can happen in the five days before the market opens, and here’s voicing my suspicion that Osweiler and the Broncos announce a deal – citing the QB’s desire to remain in Denver – shortly after the Peyton Manning situation gets resolved here over the next few days.
Headline: Tom Condon, Peyton Manning’s agent, says the QB still “really likes to play”
Agent Tom Condon on Sirius XM NFL radio about his client Peyton Manning “He said ‘I really like to play.’ I said ‘I know the feeling.’”
— Raul Martinez (@RaulSports) March 1, 2016
Bottom line: Speaking of that Manning situation, there is growing sentiment that the soon-to-be-40-year-old-QB’s storybook finish in Super Bowl 50 might be a late-in-the-storybook chapter instead. That’s fine. We get that parting ways with a 30-year-plus lifestyle is tougher than most any outsider can imagine, but it’s also pretty clear that the Broncos are prepared to close the book on the unforgettable Manning Era and release the future but obviously declining Hall of Famer if need be.
Headline: The Broncos announce another round of ticket-price increases
Bottom line: The average single-ducat cost of attending a contest at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (by the way, how long will that moniker be around?) has climbed above $100. And why? Let’s see: A third Super Bowl title in 19 years, nearly 50 years of home sellouts, a booming secondary ticket market that shows few – if any – signs of slowing down, and an increased team salary cap that could soon include the league’s best-compensated defensive player. Raising ticket prices is simply a natural, no-brainer progression in case you weren’t playing attention in Econ 101.
Headline: Broncos Country comes in 31st in The Sporting News’ NFL fan base misery index
Bottom line: See 7 February, 2016.
