ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Von Miller is back in Colorado, but not to get resolution of his contract dispute with the Denver Broncos.
Instead, the Super Bowl 50 MVP deflected questions about his future with the Broncos as he hosted the second day of his football camp for more than 500 kids Wednesday. A staff member from the Von Miller Football ProCamp said Miller would not answer questions about his status with the Broncos and, indeed, the star pass rusher politely dodged queries about his football future.
“I just think, where we’re at right now, everything has been said. Everything is already in the books right now,” Miller said. “It’s just a time for waiting right now. I want all the focus to be on the kids today.”
Miller spoke recently about his contract impasse in an interview with comedian Chelsea Handler for her Netflix television show and on his own Instagram page, where he posted last week that he would not play the 2016 season under the franchise tag. The Broncos franchised Miller in March. The one-year tag equates to a salary of $14.129 million.
Miller skipped the Broncos’ offseason program in protest, and contract talks broke off earlier this month when the two sides could not agree on the structure and guaranteed money of a new multiyear deal. Miller and the team have until July 15 to reach a long-term agreement. If that deadline passes, Miller will have two choices: play under the franchise tag, or sit out all or part of the season.
For now, though, he seems happy to continue his whirlwind offseason.
Miller was an active participant of his camp Wednesday despite an exhausting 24 hours that included the first day of the camp Tuesday, a flight to Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon so he could participate in a promo photo and video shoot for NBC’s Sunday Night Football followed by a late-night return flight to Denver. He was joined on the flight and at the camp by fellow NFL players Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks, and defensive tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie of the San Francisco 49ers.
Miller also recently posed for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue, using props like a cowboy hat and disco ball to cover himself.
“Initially going out there, I was like ‘Whoa, what did I get myself into?' " he said.
"But after like two minutes, it just felt normal."
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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones
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