Even though the Denver Broncos had to contend with the retirement of Peyton Manning and the free agency of Brock Osweiler, the contract situation of Von Miller was always the biggest issue. Miller’s contract stalemate has been well documented this offseason to the point where many people were wondering if Miller might sit out the entire 2016 season.

Miller and Broncos finally came to an agreement on a six-year, $114.5 million deal with $70 million guaranteed. It was expected Miller was going to get a lot of money, but what helped him in his negotiations was the contract Fletcher Cox signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Last month, Cox was signed to a six-year, $102 million deal with $63 million guaranteed, which at the time made him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history. That title now belongs to Miller and for the Broncos they needed him back on defense as they are going through a transitional phase at the quarterback position.

Miller had an outstanding season in 2015, which was capped off by an outstanding Super Bowl 50 performance. In 2015, Miller had 30 tackles, 11 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Then in the postseason, Miller had five sacks, where he had 2.5 in the Super Bowl and was named MVP.

Miller’s presence on the field helped the Broncos’ defense be ranked first in sacks with 52 and third in rushing defense, only giving up 83.6 yards per game. Also, we cannot forget that the Broncos lost linebacker Danny Trevathan to the Chicago Bears in free agency. Outside of Brandon Marshall, Miller played in 76.2 percent of defensive snaps, followed by Trevathan with 67.2 percent.

Grade for Broncos: A 

The speculation surrounding Miller was that he was not going to play under the franchise tag and eventually he and the Broncos would come to a resolution. Both sides knew they needed each other, but the Broncos especially knew they needed Miller because they do not have a player to match his production.

However, this is not the first time the Broncos waited until the franchise tag deadline to lock up one of their players. Last summer, they went through the same thing with Demaryius Thomas. Thomas had an outstanding 2014 season, finishing with 111 receptions for 1,619 yards and 11 touchdowns.

But the Broncos’ front office had offered him the franchise tag, which at the time was only worth $12.8 million, but both sides obviously wanted to get something long-term completed. So on July 15, 2015, the Broncos signed Thomas to a five-year, $70 million contract making sure he does not hit free agency until 2020.

Miller will be the focal point of the Broncos’ defense and will have to live up to the contract of being the highest paid defensive player in the game. When NFL free agency began earlier this year, I had Miller listed as my number one free agent and Kansas City Chiefs free safety Eric Berry was right after him. Unlike Kansas City, Denver was able to get the job done.

NFL players do not like to play under the franchise tag because they see how much they are worth on the market and Miller finally got what he deserved.

Grade for Von Miller: A+