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Mile High Monday: The Broncos get some clarity on Miller and Simmons

Mar 8, 2021, 6:37 AM

Free agency is rapidly approaching, and the NFL news cycle is about ready to go crazy with players jumping from one team to another. The salary cap is down, but the amount of activity will be high. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a flurry of trade activity in a week or so, as well.

I like when teams start executing their offseason plans. We don’t know yet who will make up the 2021 Denver Broncos (and every other team), but we get clues as to who they want to be when the new league year begins.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

***

Tag! You’re It (Again)

Once again this year, the Broncos have placed the franchise tag on safety Justin Simmons. This makes back-to-back years where that’s the move the team did to keep him around on the roster. It also means that new Broncos general manager George Paton is following in the footsteps of his predecessor John Elway. Like Elway, Paton looked at the safety market and decided to not yet make Simmons a top-paid safety with a long-term deal.

The math here has always been easy. Simmons is likely to get around $15 million annually on his next deal, and that mark would make him the no.1 paid safety in terms of annual average salary – a mark his play has backed up. Simmons ended up signing the tag last year, betting on himself that he could continue his strong play under head coach (and defensive guru) Vic Fangio. The veteran safety did just that, and he was one of the most reliable defenders on a team that only won five games in 2020.

Add in who Simmons is off the field, and the equation becomes even easier to see. Simmons is great in the community, working with the organization to spread positivity and wisdom to fans of all ages. He’s great in the locker room where teammates can look up to him as a leader, and Simmons all around is just a great guy.

Simply put, Simmons is the type of player you hope every Broncos player to be.

These tags have only cost the team more money. If they had only signed Simmons to a long-term contract last year, then Paton would not have to deal with this. Yes, Simmons is going to command a salary that makes him one of the highest-paid safeties in the league, but he is deserving of that price. It’s past time the Broncos make this right.

***

No Charges, What’s Next?

The Von Miller saga has had a bunch of twists and turns this offseason. We all knew his contract situation was going to be an issue this offseason, but that drama was only heightened with some off-field issues.

First, there were text messages revealed online by Miller’s former fiancée. These messages are quite damning and were allegedly sent by Miller in reaction to her pregnancy. That was in early January and these messages (allegedly sent by Miller) have not been talked about by the veteran linebacker. However, he did appear to deny the allegations on his Instagram page, writing: “Fake News. Lol The reality of somebody leaving you make some people literally crazy. Classic Trap.”

Then in mid-January, it was revealed that Parker Police Department was investigating Miller. No reason as to why he was being investigated was revealed, but everyone was waiting to see if something came from these police interactions.

We found out last week that no charges would be filed against Miller. This was the day after Paton emphasized how much he wanted Miller back in a press conference. Paton made it clear how important Miller was to the team, but he wanted the legal process to exhaust itself before moving forward with any decision on Miller’s status with the team.

So, what’s next for Miller? With the legal issue out of the way, the Broncos are free to sign Miller to an extension before the start of the new league year. When March 17 rolls around, Miller has a team option in his deal which kicks in $7 million in guaranteed money.

The Broncos could sign Miller to a deal similar to what J.J. Watt received from the Cardinals a week ago. That could be a win-win for both sides as Miller would get more guaranteed money, and the Broncos would lower Miller’s cap number for 2021 and beyond. Stay tuned.

***

Hanging Em Up?

The Broncos reached out to veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick recently, per our very own John Clayton, to see if he’d be interested in joining the team. Instead, Clayton reports that Fitzpatrick is leaning towards retirement.

Fitzpatrick was a seventh-round pick out of Harvard in the 2005 NFL Draft. The then St. Louis Rams were the first team to pick up Fitzpatrick, but he’s played for eight teams total during his pro career. He’s never played for the Broncos, but a week ago it was an interesting name to toss around made even more intriguing because the Broncos had reached out to him.

He’s got “Fitzmagic” and can light a fire under a team with his play. Most of the time that magic runs out after a couple of games, but Fitzpatrick is the perfect ‘bridge’ quarterback for teams in need of guidance for a younger player.

So, where should the Broncos look next? If Fitzpatrick does call it a day, then Denver will have to turn their attention to guys like Andy Dalton or Alex Smith.

An older quarterback would give them the veteran experience they need, but it would also be a sign to Lock that they’re not outright replacing him. A seasoned veteran like Dalton or Smith would be able to push Lock in ways that Jeff Driskel could not in 2020. If Lock wins the job and then gets hurt (like he has each of the last two years) then a seasoned veteran would be able to take over and hopefully not miss a beat.

***

Liked It, Not Loved It

The series finale of the Disney+ show “WandaVision” wrapped up last week, and the fan base is split on how it was received. As the show went on, several fan theories started to proliferate on the internet. These theories were fun to think about, but nobody knew which direction the show was going to go in.

As a huge comic book fan, I love when TV shows or movies follow the source material as close as possible. While there are some stories from the comics weaved into “WandaVision” (“House of M,” “West Coast Avengers,” etc.), there isn’t a clear path as the show is going in a different direction. That means we can only guess as to what is happening, why it’s happening and what is going to happen next.

I’m not upset if some of the fan theories don’t come to fruition. Would it have been cool to see these theories play out on the small screen? Sure, but it’s not a dealbreaker when that doesn’t happen. The show did not follow the theories and gave us an ended that is open ended. It was supposed to be the series finale, but with the popularity of WandaVision the Disney executives might decide a second season would be a hit.

What did you think of the series finale of WandaVision? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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