The Broncos had hoped to sign linebacker Von Miller before signing linebacker Brandon Marshall. That didn’t happen.
PFT has confirmed that Marshall has inked a four-year deal. Per a source with knowledge of the contract, it’s worth $32 million over four years, with $15 million fully guaranteed at signing.
That’s a lot less than what Miller will be getting. The bigger question is whether Miller will be getting anything beyond his $14.129 million franchise tender for one season, and whether he’ll even take that, if the two sides can’t work out a long-term deal.
For a while, it appeared that Marshall wouldn’t get a long-term deal unless and until Miller did, especially with Miller counting for so much under the 2016 cap. Also, the Broncos have developed a habit of not wanting to pay players market value, aggressively pushing the notion that they need cap space in order to hold a championship-caliber team together.
At some point, however, the Broncos have to reward the men who have gotten them to where they currently are. Otherwise, morale will dip, the players will become resentful, and those who got squeezed into taking less than they’re worth may be inclined to start giving less than they can, or at a minimum to not go above and beyond the call.
Marshall went above and beyond the call by showing up for offseason workouts without a contract. Perhaps the team’s decision to make him the sixth highest-paid inside linebacker in football means they are starting to realize the folly of being so tight-fisted.