Elway's Failure to Extend Simmons Doesn't Bode Well for Phillip Lindsay's Future Contract

At the beginning of the 2020 offseason, the stars seemed aligned for Phillip Lindsay to receive a contract extension with Denver commensurate with his contributions. Thanks to the pandemic, those hopes have been dashed for the vastly underpaid star running back.

Denver Broncos GM John Elway has a reputation in NFL circles as being a ruthless and uncompromising negotiator. With Elway's failure to tie safety Justin Simmons into a long-term deal, fans are poised to witness a major Broncos star play out a full season on the franchise tag for the first time ever. 

Each of the four players Elway had previously franchise-tagged as a front-office czar was extended on a multi-year deal ahead of the annual July deadline. The Simmons stalemate, which represents the fifth franchise-tagged player in Elway's GM career, breaks that precedent. 

Simmons has said all along he intends to show up and bet on himself to cash in further on down the line and there's no reason to doubt that. As the dust settles on the All-Pro safety's fruitless talks, it’s the domino effect on RB Phillip Lindsay’s long-proposed contract extension that could provide more potential disharmony than Simmons taking home $11.4 million this season.

Lindsay enters the season as the most underpaid and undervalued player on the Broncos roster. Back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons have converted Lindsay’s local novelty into real value for the rebuilt Broncos and their GM. 

Lindsay decided to draw a line under Elway’s move to sign ex-Charger Melvin Gordon to a two-year, $16 million deal back in March, stating that he intends to fight for his job and a pay raise no matter how the chips fall. Lindsay hasn't moved off that posture since. 

“My initial reaction is at the end of the day I’ve got to put food on the table for my family. I can’t worry about anything else that’s going on,” Lindsay told KUSA's Mike Klis back in March. “Honestly, he’s going to do his part and I’m going to do my part.”

While the Broncos' two Pro Bowl running backs take on ball-sharing duties in 2020, the sheer disparity between Lindsay’s $750,000 salary in 2020 and Gordon’s $13.5 million in guarantees could very well stick in the former’s craw.

That’s why the machinations early this offseason from Elway about putting together a better money deal for the young RB sat extremely well with Lindsay’s agent Mike McCartney when he spoke with Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic back in March.

“The Broncos will do the right thing by a player who has not only exceeded expectations on the field but embodies everything about the culture they are trying to build there,” McCartney told The Athletic.

That comment was made four months ago and to our knowledge, there's been no movement on the contract front for Lindsay. The 25-year-old former Colorado Buffalo has always used an underdog's edge to inspire him to perform, so when his boss' early intimations gave way to more guarded sound bites after the Gordon signing, it could well have put more fuel on Lindsay's competitive fire.

“I’ve talked with Phillip’s agent and we’ll see what can do later on,” Elway said back in March following the Gordon signing. “That’s not a guarantee either way, but we’ll see what we can do later on.”

At the time, Elway was playing his cards close to his vest, firm in the knowledge that Lindsay was providing serious bang for his buck and the fact that the Broncos can control the young back contractually through the 2021 season, if he garners a restricted free-agent tender (which is certain). 

Since Elway made the fateful decision to acknowledge Lindsay's need for a new contract back on December 31, everything about the football environment at Dove Valley has changed. 

The NFL world has since been turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting Lindsay’s hopes of getting that shiny new contract on the backburner. As revenue worries and the very real prospect of playing to near-empty stadiums become the new normal, the NFL and NFLPA's focus has shifted to the possibility of the salary cap shrinking anywhere from $40-70 million for the 2021 season.

The NFLPA has even sprung into emergency talks to alleviate any impact on the future cap that would seriously damage the earning power of its members. It appears that the players union will face some tough negotiations along the way as it presses the league to spread the damage out over the remaining nine-year term of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Closer to home, we have already seen the Broncos' purported determination to re-sign Simmons fall victim to the sheer uncertainty of throwing vast amounts of dollars around in the current financial climate. For Lindsay, it has to be a bitter pill to swallow. 

Lindsay will have to find a way to re-establish trust in Elway if he is to genuinely believe that he is not just being played to suit the circumstances. True to form, Lindsay has been doubling down on offseason workouts with QB Drew Lock as he tries to polish up his pass-catching skills and become a complete NFL running back. 

A few screen-grabs from @I_CU_boy's Instagram story today. Working out with @DrewLock23 somewhere it would seem. The Colorado Kid is laying down the gauntlet. He'll be a receiver come hell or High water. https://t.co/r3wjQEOQip pic.twitter.com/OpWnJiePSE

— Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) July 1, 2020

It’s exactly that type of self-motivation and team-first DNA that have seen the tailback find early and unprecedented success at the professional level thus far. If that is to continue in the Orange and Blue, it'll be up to Elway to chart a path through choppy NFL waters and finally reward Lindsay with a contract that more accurately reflects his previous contributions and on-going impact to the Broncos.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.