ie Hernandez (@lauriehernandez_) onAug 28, 2016 at 8:33pm PDT

It sure was a fun ride with Von Miller, John Elway and the Denver Broncos the past month and a half.The NFLs franchise-tag rule, which allows teams to keep their top players off the market while negotiating long-term deals with them, made for some particularly interesting theater in Millers case. There were weird deadlines set by the team more than a month ahead of the real one. There was an Instagram post in which? Miller cut Elway out of the picture to express his displeasure with what he would later refer to as some of the tactics Elway was using in negotiations.In the end, it all worked out, as it always seemed it would. Miller and the Broncos signed a six-year, $114.5 million contract extension?Friday, just a couple of hours before the deadline, and now everyone is happy. The franchise tag gave us all something to talk and write about during the slow summer months of NFL coverage, and for that we are grateful.But we got to wondering what this all would have been like if there were no such thing as the franchise player designation. What if that rule simply didnt exist? How would that have affected Miller, or any of the other players who were tagged this offseason? How would it have affected the market in general?Before we get too far into this, understand that the franchise tag isnt going anywhere. It has been around since 1993, first installed as an ostensible means of allowing smaller-market teams to keep their stars out of free agency and out of the hands of bigger-market ones. Over time, it has evolved and been used in many different ways, not always consistent with its original intent. But while top players and agents find it odious, as it restricts earnings at the top of the market, 99 percent of NFL players will never have to worry about being tagged, which means its not an issue the NFLPA is interested in fighting in future negotiations. Players can all agree they dont like it, but theyre not about to draw any lines in the negotiating sand over it.So?imagine for a moment that there was no such thing as the franchise tag. Here are a few different ways Millers past year or two could have unfolded:1. Miller signs an extension during the 2015 offseason.Knowing 2015 was the final year of Millers contract and they had no way of keeping him off the market come March, the Broncos could have moved to extend him last summer, as the Panthers did with Luke Kuechly, or the Giants did with Eli Manning. At that time, Miller probably would have been looking at a deal a little bit north of the six-year, $101 million contract Justin Houston signed last summer with the Chiefs. (Of course, in this alternate reality, Houston would have signed his contract much sooner and likely for more money, since Kansas City couldnt have franchised him in the spring of 2015. But just roll with us here.)Ndamukong Suh had just blown out the market for defensive players with a six-year, $114.375 million deal from Miami. Since Suh got his deal as an open-market unrestricted free agent, Miller (who had a year to go on his deal) couldnt have expected to get that much. So hed probably have just beaten the Houston deal and come in around $17 million a year instead of the $19.083 million he got. Look at it that way, and the franchise tag may have helped him. The year he played in the interim saw him add Super Bowl MVP to his resume. That pays big, as did the 8.4 percent increase in the salary cap.2. Miller signs an extension after the Super Bowl but before hitting the open market.Not knowing Olivier Vernon was going to get $17 million a year from the Giants once he hit the market, Miller probably would still have been negotiating off the Houston deal, though with a little more help. Suhs down year and the cap increase (which in February was still only a projected cap increase), along with Millers brilliance in leading the Broncos to a championship, put Miller in a position to argue to be in the same neighborhood as Suh. Add 8.4 percent to Suhs average annual salary and you get $20.5875 million. Millers agent likely would have started by asking for that, knowing he wouldnt get it. Thats a lower starting point than Millers agent actually used in real life. He was asking for $22 million per year when negotiations began this summer.3. Miller waits it out, hits the open market and cashes in big.What happens if Miller hits the free-agent market in March coming off the year he just had? You saw how crazy teams went when the Dolphins took the transition tag off Vernon. Miller would have been even more coveted, and likely soared well into the $22 million range. The case for paying him quarterback money after what he did last year and in the postseason couldnt have been clearer, and free agency is a time when teams dont even need a great reason to open their wallets. This would have been the best possible situation for Miller, who would have left Suhs deal in the dust and probably set the bar for the Andrew Luck deal that came a few months later in Indianapolis. Its possible, too, that Miller being on the market would have helped others. Maybe Vernon would have done even better, riding Millers coattails to a deal with one of the teams that didnt win the Miller sweepstakes. Maybe hed have priced Muhammad Wilkerson out of the Jets budget, since Wilkerson wouldnt have been subject to the nonexistent franchise tag either.Of these possibilities, the first is the most likely, since few players like to assume the injury risk that comes with playing out the final year of their contract without an extension. Theres no way to know whether the Broncos would have approached Miller about an extension last summer if the franchise tag didnt exist. But if they did, history says they likely could have reached a deal. And it probably would have been a smaller one than the one he ended up getting.As for the other guys who got franchised this year:Kirk Cousins, Washington: Coming off a surprise season, Cousins likely would have fallen into the same free-agent category as Denvers Brock Osweiler?-- a quarterback who has shown promise but still isnt a known quantity. Since Houston seemed to be the only team willing to pay Osweiler $18 million a year, its likely the only way Cousins could have made that much is if Houston had preferred him to Osweiler. Its possible Cousins would have had to take a shorter-term deal in the $16 million-a-year range with Washington. Instead, he makes $19.9 million for one year and has to prove he can do it again.Alshon Jeffery, Chicago:?After missing seven games due to injury in 2015, Jefferys best hope may have been a deal like the ones Doug Baldwin and Keenan Allen just signed in Seattle and San Diego. And even that $11.5 million-a-year range may have been tough to convince someone to cough up for a guy who wasnt healthy all season. Instead, he makes $14.599 million for one year.Eric Berry, Kansas City:?Maybe emotion would have carried the day back in March, and Kansas City would have locked up Berry the way the Patriots did Devin McCourty ($9.5 million a year) one year before. But if Berry was looking to be the highest-paid safety in the league, he probably could have scored a $10-plus-million-a-year deal on the open market. Kansas City froze him at $10.806 million for one year, and knowing his tag next year will be almost $13 million set his expectations higher than made the Chiefs comfortable.Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets:?Everything written about Miller applies here, as Wilkerson was the only other franchise player whose franchise tag number was lower than his market value. He wouldnt have broken any records, but Wilkerson would have done well on the open market, likely securing greater guarantees than the Jets gave him in the extension done Friday.Trumaine Johnson, Los Angeles:?Former teammate Janoris Jenkins got $12.5 million a year from the Giants, so its fair to assume Johnson could have got the same from some other team. Corners are in demand.Justin Tucker, Baltimore:?Probably gets the same exact deal he just got, only sooner.Vendita Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Sconti . Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. http://www.yeezy350scontate.it/ . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Yeezy Boost 350 Italia . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Yeezy Boost 350 Uscita Italia . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks.The Final Five -- minus a hospitalized Gabby Douglas?-- attended MTVs Video Music Awards on Sunday night, and its safe to say, they totally stole the show.Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian started the night by getting all glammed up and rocking the red carpet. And while they werent wearing their Olympic hardware, they stunned all the same.V M A S ?A photo posted by Simone Biles (@simonebiles) onAug 28, 2016 at 9:42pm PDTThen they presented the award for Best Female Video to Beyonce. NBD, right? (OMG, WRONG, AND I CANT EVEN PRETEND TO FEEL DIFFERENTLY FOR EVEN ONE SECOND.) The Queen Bey -- who slayed with her concert-length performance just moments before -- embraced each of the women as she took the stage, and Hernandezs face pretty much says it all.So much girl power on one stage! ?? @beyonce @Aly_Raisman @Simone_Biles @MadisonKocian @lzhernandez02 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/Hu6laUNgVo- ExtraTV (@extratv) August 29, 2016And then the foursome became BFFs with just about everyone in the room.Kim Kardashian? CHECK.selfie with Kim ???? just as beautiful in personA photo posted by Simone Biles (@simonebiles) onAug 29, 2016 at 3:50am PDTKanye West? DONE. (Sorry, Taylor.)I love Kanye more than Kanye loves KanyeA photo possted by Laurie Hernandez (@lauriehernandez_) onAug 28, 2016 at 9:01pm PDTAriana Grande? YUP.dddddddddddd????????????A photo posted by Laurie Hernandez (@lauriehernandez_) onAug 28, 2016 at 8:33pm PDTG-Eazy? YOU KNOW IT.SHE KEPT SAYING G EAZY IS HER FAVORITE RAPPER ???? @G_eazyA video posted by Simone Biles (@simonebiles) onAug 28, 2016 at 9:27pm PDTAnd Raisman even found time to meet her Twitter besties Chrissy Teigen and John Legend (and their adorable daughter).Tonights pre-party slash getting ready squad was a total rage fest of adorable #vmas #preparty @alyraisman @chrissyteigen @johnlegend #squad @lynnraismanA photo posted by Hayley Paige (@misshayleypaige) onAug 28, 2016 at 5:15pm PDTThanks for helping us get ready!! @johnlegend @chrissyteigen and baby Luna!! pic.twitter.com/oOUqiG0Bg9- Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) August 29, 2016All in all, it looked like a pretty epic night. Having Douglas there (and healthy) clearly would have been the only thing that couldve made it any better.See something entertaining on social media that you think deserves to be shared? Let me know on Twitter, @darcymaine_espn. ' ' '