Fletcher Cox’s big deal helps Von Miller, but shouldn’t faze John Elway

How do we know Von Miller has the upper hand on the Denver Broncos? When Fletcher Cox signs a contract with the Eagles for the largest amount of guaranteed money for a non-quarterback and a national columnist like Yahoo!’s Frank Schwab writes his reaction piece about Von Miller.

Before we dive into those details, H=here’s a quick rundown of Miller and Cox’s respective credentials…

Fletcher Cox (DE)
Seasons: 4
Games: 63
Tackles: 159
Sacks: 22
Pro Bowls: 1
Second-Team All-Pro Teams: 1
First-Team All-Pro Teams: 0
Super Bowl MVPs: 0

Von Miller (OLB)
Seasons: 5 
Games: 72
Tackles: 204
Sacks: 60
Pro Bowls: 4
Second-Team All-Pro Teams: 2
First-Team All-Pro Teams: 2
Super Bowl MVPs: 1

So when Cox signed a $103 million contract with a reported $63 million guaranteed, the instant reaction was 1) The Eagles are crazy to give a “very, very good” but not exceptional player that kind of money, and 2) The Broncos are only costing themselves more money with each day that passes and each new big deal that comes down without signing Miller.

There’s no denying that Miller is an exceptional talent, and his agent recently told our own Josh Dover that he’s confident a deal will get done – calling it a when, not if, situation.

John Elway is a great salesman. His record with free agents is evidence. He’s also a shrewd businessman, no doubt. The deals he worked for Chris Harris and Derek Wolfe are evidence. But he’s human as we saw with C.J. Anderson. And in the case of Anderson, he’s also showed us that he’ll pony up and pay for a player he genuinely believes in, even when the price tag climbs (and even if that’s in part his own fault).

Elway still holds one card, the franchise tag, which he can use up to three times on Miller. It would be a bold move, and very well could lead to a full-on holdout (not just the OTA/training camp variety). Elway has shown a willingness to do a lot of things as GM. It would be a real shock if that was the next move in his managerial strategy. Maybe as shocking as the Eagles guaranteeing Fletcher Cox $63 million.