Could the Arizona Cardinals afford Von Miller?

Rumors have been circulating between many columnist, most notable that Von Miller could end up traded if a long-term deal is not established by the Franchise Tag due date.

Recently, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report  reported that it could end up being in the best interest of the team to trade Von Miller. Many are reading this and thinking “could my team make a legitimate offer for Miller?”. Maybe.

First off, I don’t think Miller wants to play for anyone else other then the Broncos, I just think that John Elway is a pretty stingy General Manager. Second issue, teams want Miller to sign a long-term contract once the trade is complete, which is not going to happen if you’re not a contender. Last point, he is destined to be the richest contract, that costs teams a good chunk of their salary cap, meaning he could account for 20%-30% of your teams cap.

So ask yourself, if you’re a Cardinals fan, could and would the Arizona Cardinals trade for Miller. Yes.

They can’t afford the salary right now, but there is a bargaining chip available. In the offseason, the Denver Broncos lost the best defensive lineman they had, Malik Jackson, to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their replacement? Jared Crick. Not good enough.

I think the Cardinals have somewhat a decent amount of depth on the defensive line, and they could eventually be okay with parting ways with some pieces there. Most notably Calais Campbell, a one man wrecking crew who is in the last year of his contract.

Campbell is making a big cap of $15,500,000, and it’s no secret the Cardinals have been wanting to reduce that cap in the worst way. Trading Campbell now, while he is on his last year of his contract is almost perfect for the Cardinals. Not as important, but he is from Colorado. I think he’d be very willing to sign a long-term deal with them.

Why would the Cardinals be okay with parting with Calais now? I think it’s mostly a comfort level thing. How comfortable are you with Frostee Rucker helping Robert Nkemdiche in year one? Could Nkemdiche become a starter day-1? Another big YES!

So what do the Cardinals gain from trading for Miller? Well, the biggest thing is the “win-now” mantra. Being able to be possibly the best defense in the league has to be an intrigue for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals get to test a linebacking corp of edge rushers, Miller off the weak side, and Chandler Jones off the strong side. I think if a trade were to happen, the Cardinals might have to give up one of their young linebackers. Not a problem.

Obviously, a first round selection from the Cardinals is also going to be at risk for the Cardinals, as the Cardinals will need to dangle assets for the Broncos to bite. So let’s take a look at the trade.

Next: The Contracts