FanPost

A Peyton/Ware-like contract restructure to keep Von in 2021

A lot has been written and speculated about whether we'll pick up Von's contract option for 2021, and I'm sure there have been team-to-agent conversations, but here we are two days before the deadline and on the eve of legal tampering, and the situation isn't resolved... which got me thinking this evening, if I were George Paton, what specifically would be the best contract I would be willing to offer Von?


Let me start by saying I love Von as a player: he's a generational talent, Super Bowl MVP, face of the franchise for the last decade, and I hope he retires in orange and blue. I also suspect he'll heal fully and be a good to very good player when he's back on the field.

And that said, the team is bigger than any one player, overpaying hurts the team in many ways, and I don't think it's a no brainer to bring back Von "no matter what." $18M/year is a lot of money, there are other positions it could be spent on, and there are other good edge players out there and potentially available. Shaq probably wants to make another SB run with Tampa Bay, but they don't have him locked down yet... what would you rather have, Von for another year at $18M, or Shaq, 4 years younger, on a 4-5 year deal at $18M/year? Would you rather have Von at $18M than Leonard Floyd, who's also 4 years younger and has 5 productive years in the Fangio-Staley system across the Bears and Rams, for multiple years at his Spotrac estimated salary of $13M/year? How about vs. Floyd if he only cost $10M/year? And so on. It's a GM's responsibility to weigh the costs, benefits, and alternatives in an even-keeled way, and come up with the best decision for the team.

By the way, if Von gets back to All-Pro form, or close to it, I think $18M is fair and I don't mind paying it. If he's not, it's a pretty significant overpay - even vs. other top age 30-31 edge rusher contracts like Brandon Graham, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Houston, and Jerry Hughes, who were more in the $10.5-13.5M range (thanks Spotrac). JJ Watt got $15.5M from Arizona, and sounds like that might have been the outlier among his offers.

I should also say that I agree with our esteemed MHR hosts that the decision does link to the QB situation. If we manage to land Deshaun Watson, we are instant contenders, and I'd definitely want Von on the roster. If we ride with Drew another year and he's not good enough to keep us competitive (which isn't certain, but is highly plausible and honestly more likely than not), then paying Von $18M to kick ass, maybe gain us a few wins and cost our draft order, isn't really helpful for the Broncos heading into 2022. On the flip side, Von leaving would signal we aren't planning to contend now, and I'd imagine would be a big turn-off for Watson. The problem is, we're not going to know about Deshaun for a while, and we need to make a decision on the option now, facing that uncertainty.

One of the ideas I've seen floated, including by Klis, is a contract restructure which adds a few years at a lower AAV (maybe it becomes 3 years, 2021-2023 averaging $15M/year, for example). I wouldn't mind that at all as a Broncos fan. I think the issue is that if I were Von, I wouldn't take that deal. I'm a generational talent, I was in the best shape of my life 6 months ago and ready to kick ass before lightning struck, and like any champion would, I want to bet on myself and my market in 2022 - I'm not settling for less now when everyone else is worried about what I'll look like coming back from a season-ending injury. And even offering me a pay cut seems disrespectful, and I wouldn't appreciate it.

I do have a different idea, though, which also has two recent precedents with Broncos luminaries. If memory serves, Peyton was owed $19M going into the 2015 season, which was restructured into something like $15M base and $4M of incentives (money which he went and got, and deserved, by winning the Super Bowl!). The year after, Demarcus Ware was owed $10M going into the 2016 season, which was restructured into a lower base ($6.5M) with the opportunity to earn back up to the original $10M on a sliding scale up to 13 sacks. I think this is your template for Von - say, restructure to agree $12-14M base, earn back up to original $18M if he gets into the 13-15 sack range. It de-risks the contract on the Broncos side, while paying him fairly if he produces. And on the emotional side, it can be framed as a very respectful offer - in fact, aligned with how two other players Von looks up to were treated and agreed to when in somewhat similar situations.

So if I were Paton, that would be my offer - $13M base, earn up to $18M if get to 15 sacks, maybe I'm willing to tweak the base and sack numbers a bit to get to yes. I'd explore an extension but not be overly pushy, and convey my respect and appreciation throughout. And fingers crossed that Von comes back, produces, and earns his money (and in the dream scenario, helps us lure Deshaun here!).

One more thing - given free agency pseudo-opens tomorrow and "we won't get a decision on Von today," my best guess is that an offer like this already has been made, and hasn't been accepted by Von's camp. If that's the case, I wouldn't blame GM George from being active in exploring edge alternatives when the flag drops at 12pm ET tomorrow. If someone like Shaq or Floyd is willing to say yes at a value that seems better than the offer Von turned down, I'd lock it down and move on from our icon. It wouldn't be popular, but it would be the right thing to do for the future of the Broncos - and that's what Paton has to prioritize at the end of the day.

I'd love to hear reactions from others - agree? Disagree? Have a different view or different structures/numbers for what your "best and final" offer to Von would be? Would just fold and pick up the option? Lots of ways to play this - and we'll find out soon!


This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.