This story originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. Click here to read the full digital issue.
At 2 p.m. MDT on Friday, July 15, the Denver Broncos and Von Miller must have agreed to terms on a long-term contract or Miller will be forced to decide if he’s willing to play the 2016 season under the exclusive franchise tag. As a linebacker, the single-season franchise tag for Miller is a modest $14.129 million compared to the reported $55-60 million he’s seeking, guaranteed, on a multi-year deal. That’s a difference of no less than $41 million, which could see the reigning Super Bowl MVP make the unprecedented move of sitting out a season if a long-term deal doesn’t happen. But it’s nothing compared to the real pay disparity worth noting on July 15.
That date also marks the deadline for Major League Baseball teams to sign their 2016 amateur draft picks. In total, 22 Colorado products were selected this year, four by the hometown Colorado Rockies and six of them straight out of high school. Each must decide whether to sign a pro contract or continue playing as an amateur.
The decision might seem like an easy one at first blush. First-round picks like the Rockies’ Riley Pint (Thomas Aquinas HS; Overland Park, Kan.) make headlines with their $4.8 million signing bonuses. However, the decision is not so easy for players like Wyatt Featherston (Green Mountain HS; Lakewood, Colo.), selected 1,010th overall by Colorado. A 34th-round pick, Featherston can expect a meager signing bonus ($1,000-$2,000) to go with an average monthly salary that will begin at $1,100 and cap out around $2,500 (which comes only during the season) until he is added to a 40-man roster.
As Sports Illustrated reported in 2014, most minor league players will make, on average, less than the annual income of a fast food worker. MLB players, meanwhile, will make a minimum $507,500 guaranteed in 2016.
On July 15, Von Miller will likely sign a contract worth more than $55 million guaranteed. That same day, 22 youngsters from Colorado will have to decide if they want to take deals that pay them at or below the federal poverty line.