Von Miller has seemingly been everywhere since the team's win in Super Bowl 50, including a spot on "Dancing With The Stars,'' but one of his teammates believes the linebacker will be at the Denver Broncos' complex next Monday when the team opens its offseason conditioning program.
Miller has not directly addressed his status for the team's offseason program, but cornerback Aqib Talib said Monday that Miller told him he intended to be in attendance.
"I think that he's going to be there on the 18th,'' Talib said Monday in a phone interview. "The last time I talked to him, he was going to be on his way to Denver on the 18th with everybody else.''
The Broncos placed the exclusive franchise player tag on Miller to keep him out of unrestricted free agency. The tag comes with a one-year guaranteed tender worth the average of the salaries of the highest-paid players in the league at the position.
In Miller's case, it is a one-year deal worth just over $14 million. Miller would have to sign the tender to participate in the Broncos' offseason program when it begins with conditioning-only workouts next Monday.
The last two position players who the Broncos used the tag on -- tackle Ryan Clady and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas -- skipped the team's offseason work before each signed a new long-term deal just before the next training camp opened.
"But I don't think Von's mad about that franchise tag at all,'' Talib said. "He's confident in himself, that a good deal will happen one way or the other, whether it's this year or whether it's next year.''
Whether Miller can actually join his teammates remains to be seen. He would be scheduled for another "Dancing With The Stars'' show, in Los Angeles, on April 18th if he advances to the next round. But Talib reaffirmed Monday that Miller had expressed his intention to be at the team's offseason workouts.
Miller and his representatives have had talks about the long-term deal as executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway has said he would like to put together a long-term contract for one of the team's cornerstone players.
The talks, which Miller has repeatedly said he expected to be "peaceful,'' will center around guaranteed money in a deal that will put Miller at, or near, the top of the league's pay scale for defensive players.
The Broncos' initial offers have been for deals that average $18 million overall, including the guaranteed money. The Broncos are looking at Justin Houston's $52.5 million guaranteed in a six-year, $101 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in their assessment of how much guaranteed money to offer, while Miller and his representatives have eyed something more on the order of the $60 million guaranteed in Marcell Dareus' six-year, $96.57 million deal with the Buffalo Bills or Ndamukong Suh's six-year, $114.4 million deal with Miami Dolphins that included $59.96 million in guaranteed money.
Suh's deal also includes full salary guarantees for the first three seasons of the deal -- 2015, '16 and '17.
Miller was named Super Bowl MVP with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, including one in the first quarter that resulted in the Broncos scoring a defensive touchdown after he had ripped the ball free from Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Miller also had 2.5 sacks and an interception in the Broncos' win over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Earlier this year, Miller said: "If I was with any other organization, if I was with any other team, maybe I'd be worried about everything, but I've got John Elway. He's played, he's had experience with this whole process. I feel comfortable. Me and John's relationship is great: He was there when I was going through stuff and he never wavered. I feel like we won't waver now either. It will be a great experience, and it will be peaceful -- there's no reason for it not to be.''
Talib said Monday that since he expected Miller to participate in the team's offseason program and that since the defense had nine returning starters, the Broncos would be poised to repeat as the league's top unit.
"That's going to be our challenge as a defense, to remain at that level, to prepare the same, to be as hungry as we was last year,'' Talib said. "But we've got super-competitive guys, I think no one will get complacent and relax. We can do the same thing, have that same way of doing things and accomplish the things we want to accomplish, like go back [to the Super Bowl] and win again.''