Denver Broncos general manager John Elway will continue the practice of putting the franchise tag on valuable players they aim to keep but are entering free agency, now linebacker Von Miller is set to experience that.
The National Football League (NFL) free agency begins on March 9, but with the Broncos planning to place the franchise tag on Miller, he will not have the chance to enjoy the period.
A franchise tag assures the player that there is a one-year contract waiting for him if ever no long-term deal is reached until the deadline on July 15.
According to ESPN, Elway also did the same on kicker Matt Prater, left tackle Ryan Clady, and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, with all of them later inking long-term pacts.
Miller is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and after being named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Super Bowl 50, is surely coveted by teams looking for a major improvement on defense.
In 16 regular season games played in the previous season, Miller tallied 35 tackles and 11 sacks.
"The goal is always to get a long-term deal," Elway answered, according to ESPN, when asked about re-signing Miller.
"But, again, that goes back into the same old process of trying to include everybody in what we're looking at and looking at it from the 20,000-foot view of how this team is going to look, not only next year but two or three years down the line," he continued.
Despite expecting to have the franchise tag, Miller is likely to be signed to a new long-term contract before the Broncos' training camp ahead of the 2016 season.
Miller is Denver's second-overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and is one of the key pieces of its core that helped the franchise capture its third championship at Super Bowl 50 last Sunday.
