Until the salary cap is set, we cannot know exactly how much it will cost the Denver Broncos to franchise a player like Von Miller. However, with reports coming out that the cap is expected to rise to $155 million in 2016, projections can be made on how much it will cost to franchise players of each position.
The Broncos really only have two players that should be tagged based on whatever John Elway's long term plans for the team are. They don't have to use the tag, but this year they will likely need to use it somewhere.
Here are the two main candidates for the franchise tag in 2016.
OLB Von Miller: $14.1M
According to ESPN, the going rate for linebackers will be $14.1 million with the franchise tag projections. John Elway and the Broncos have a history of using the tag to get their targeted players signed to long term deals. Three of the last four years, they have used the franchise tag to sign Demaryius Thomas, Ryan Clady and Matt Prater to long term contracts.
QB Brock Osweiler: $19.8M
If Miller isn't tagged immediately it could mean that Elway is going to try to ink him to a deal quickly. If that is the case, then it could mean Brock Osweiler is the real target for the franchise tag. That is a steep price to pay for an inexperienced quarterback who played okay in seven starts, but it's also a one year risk/reward proposition rather than a long term financial risk.
I personally think the franchise tag target is Miller, but if they somehow ink him to a long term deal before March 1st, would you be okay with the Broncos dropping nearly $20 million on Osweiler for one season?