Linebacker Brandon Marshall has signed a four-year extension with the Denver Broncos, the team announced Tuesday. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Marshall's deal totals $32 million, with $20 million in guaranteed money.
Broncos ink LB Brandon Marshall to 4-year extension
There hasn’t been any progress with Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, but with this extension for Brandon Marshall, the Broncos retain a key member of their defense.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Broncos, of course, are still negotiating with another key player on their team, Super Bowl MVP Von Miller. It isn’t going well.
The team offered Miller a six-year, $145 million deal with nearly $40 million in guarantees over the first two years, and Miller declined. He’d like to be the highest-paid defensive player in the league, and he’s willing to hold out until that happens.
General manager John Elway made it clear this offseason that retaining Marshall was one of the team’s priorities.
Thrilled that our team has agreed to terms with LB Brandon Marshall on a four-year extension. He's become an integral part of our defense.
— John Elway (@johnelway) June 14, 2016
Marshall, 26, was a fifth-round pick by the Jaguars in 2012, but played in just five games and was released the following season.
The Broncos then scooped him up in 2013, though he appeared in just one game with them that season. With just four total tackles in his career, Marshall was given an opportunity in 2014 and he definitely made the best of it. Playing in 14 games with the Broncos, Marshall put up 113 combined tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception.
It was a breakout performance for the inside linebacker, and he kept the starting role into last season. Alongside Danny Trevathan and behind defensive superstars Von Miller and Malik Jackson, Marshall kept plays that got past that first line of defense from getting to the defensive backs. He was fast, he was strong and he finished the season with 102 combines tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.
The ongoing drama with Miller, as well as the departure of Trevathan, made re-signing Marshall even more important for the Broncos. Marshall should give the defense needed continuity, and he’s said that Denver is where he wants to be.
“I love it here,” Marshall said last month. “Since I first got here in 2013, they’ve treated me like family -- even when I was on the practice squad.”
Marshall will turn 27 early in the 2016 season, but given the longevity of inside linebackers and the fact that he has just two seasons of actual experience, Marshall could be one of the top linebackers in the league with a little more growing, and he could be at it for a long time.
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