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Miller would have 'absolutely' sat out season without deal, says agent

Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

In the end, there was no need for Von Miller to make good on his threat to sit out the 2016 season, as the Denver Broncos made their star linebacker the highest-paid defender in the league just hours before the franchise tag deadline last Friday.

But Miller's agent Joby Branion said Tuesday on PFT Live that the move wasn't a negotiating tactic and that his client was "absolutely" prepared to miss the entire season and forgo the $14.129 million he was set to earn under the one-year tender.

"A lot of people think it's bluster and all that - and sometimes it is," Branion said, according to Conor Orr of NFL.com. "In this case, no. It wouldn't have made any sense. I treat (Von) like my own son and if in fact this were my son I would tell him that you can't afford to play under the franchise tag ... he's a guy that deserves to be in the $19-, $20-, $21-million dollar range. It would make no sense at all for one year and $14 million."

Miller received what Branion thought he deserved. His six-year contract comes with an annual average salary of $19.083 million and contains $70 million in guarantees, with the latter being the second most given to a player in NFL history behind Andrew Luck.

But the contract saga between Miller and the Broncos wasn't smooth. Denver's initial unwillingness to hand the Super Bowl 50 MVP guaranteed money beyond the second year of the deal was reportedly the main reason for the holdup, causing a significant rift in the relationship between the two parties.

Because of this, there were reports that Miller's camp had formally requested a trade if Denver were not going to meet their contact demands.

"I make it a practice to not go into the specifics of what was said and wasn't said during the course of negotiations, but what I will say is that over the course of negotiations, you know, all options were discussed at one point or another whether it be in passing or not," Branion said. "With Von, there was the option of signing a deal, there was the option of signing the franchise tag, not playing under the tag, having the tag rescinded as it was done for Josh Norman and another option was a trade. Remember, that's for the club as well. I think all of those options at one point or another were discussed."

If Miller had been placed on the trading block, there presumably would have been no lack of suitors for his services and the Broncos would have been able to demand a king's ransom in return.

But a long-term deal ultimately made too much sense for all involved, with Miller rewarded for carrying the franchise to a Super Bowl title and Denver securing the centerpiece of their league-topping defense.

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