The deadline for Von Miller to agree to a long-term contract with the Broncos is Friday afternoon.
If no deal is reached, the franchise tag placed on Miller means he would be paid $14.26 million to play for the 2016 season. Something Miller has insisted he won't do.
In the latest contract proposal, the Broncos offered to pay out $57.5 million over the first nine months of the deal by moving up the guarantee for the third year salary of $19 million. The Broncos previous offer only guaranteed about $39.8 million.
The new $57.5 million figure is more than the $55.5 million guarantee the Eagles recently gave Fletcher Cox over the first 9 months of his contract, which has become a new measuring stick.
But Cox got a total of $63 million guaranteed from Philadelphia, and that figure is what Miller and his agent Joby Branion are looking for. The total deal the Broncos are offering is 6 years, $114.5 million.
John Elway and Von Miller spoke by phone over the weekend.
"Wanted to take the business side of it, don't talk numbers -- wanted to talk to him man-to-man, tell him how I was feeling," Miller told ESPN. "Some of the tactics to use and negotiate. Some of that stuff didn't have to be done, knowing the type of teammate that I am -- knock this stuff out quickly, but they have championship tactics. It works. A way for me to tell them exactly how I felt. Took my agent out of it. Some think the agent has a different message than the player. Wanted to tell him my side. We made progress on that side, getting stuff off my chest, talk to him."