Von Miller contract incentives finally revealed, and new intel makes the Dallas Cowboys look even better
The Dallas Cowboys’ addition of Von Miller is already aging pretty well based on the latest contract details, which include the incentives plan for the future Hall of Famer.
The Dallas Cowboys’ signing of Von Miller keeps getting better and better. As I indicated in an earlier article, Miller signing a one-year contract worth $5.5 million was the perfect confirmation of the team’s intentions with him: He’s here to be a rotational piece, not a star.
Well, the latest contract intel is already making the deal age like fine wine. Let’s look at the contract incentives and projected cap number.
Von Miller contract breakdown
ESPN’s Todd Archer reported the contract breakdown of Von Miller. Let’s look at the numbers before diving into a few notes:
- 1-year deal, $5.5 million (up to $7.5 million with incentives)
- Signing bonus: $3 million
- Base salary: $1.5 million
- Active roster bonuses $1.2 million
- 4 voidable years (more on why that matters later)
- Incentives tiers:
- $500,000: 8 sacks + playoffs
- $1 million: 10 sacks + playoffs
- $1.5 million: 12 sacks + playoffs
- $2 million: 14 sacks + playoffs
The first thing I will say is I’m a fan of the four voidable years. It’s a small signing bonus but the Cowboys still get to spread it out over five years thanks to this move. That’s just smart business for a team trying to win now and additional evidence of the front office getting slightly more aggressive with its contract building.
Speaking of cap hits, my quick napkin math tells me Miller’s cap number will seat around $3.3 million. That’s because none of his incentive tiers count toward the cap since they’re “not likely to be earned” because the Cowboys didn’t make the playoffs last year. Incentives that fall in that category do not count toward the salary cap. If fulfilled, there’s a cap adjustment for the following season.
That’s not the only thing to like about the incentives. Von Miller said his focus is solely on winning a championship, and tying every tier of his incentives to a playoff trip reflects this. It’s the same approach the Cowboys took with Jadeveon Clowney last year.
The Cowboys and Miller looked like a perfect match for each other. The details of the deal only confirm it.
