Von Miller, Broncos agree on contract extension just ahead of deadline

Sometimes it just takes a deadline to get things done.

Contract negotiations between the Denver Broncos and Super Bowl MVP linebacker Von Miller were protracted, public and sometimes contentious, but the two sides reportedly agreed Friday on a six-year, $114 million contract with $70 million in guarantees.

Miller confirmed the agreement on Twitter.

Miller and the Broncos had been staring at a 4 p.m. ET deadline to strike a deal. At that point, Miller would have had to sign a one-year contract on the franchise tag the team had placed on him (worth a little more than $14 million) instead of an extension, and he had very publicly refused to do that.

The sticking point all along had been the amount of guaranteed dollars in the extension, but the Broncos finally got that number up high enough Thursday that a framework reportedly was in place. The only thing left Friday was to finalize a deal, and that happened about two hours before the deadline.

Miller, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, had 11 sacks, four forced fumbles and 35 tackles in 16 regular-season games last season as the lynchpin of the NFL’s top-ranked defense. In the Broncos' three postseason wins, the 27-year-old had five sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. In his five-year NFL career, he has 60 sacks.

Miller’s signing puts a positive ending on an offseason that started with significant losses from the team that won the Super Bowl in February. Quarterback Peyton Manning retired, and his expected replacement, Brock Osweiler, signed with the Texans. Defensive tackle Malik Jackson (Jaguars), linebacker Danny Trevathan (Bears) and safety David Bruton Jr. (Redskins) also left in free agency, but Miller is perhaps the team’s most important player and he’s now in the fold with training camp just a couple weeks away.