It turns out deadlines help get things done -- that was the case with your college english paper, and it extends to professional football teams negotiating multi-million dollar deals with their star players.

Before the deadline on Wednesday for franchise tagged players to sign long-term extensions, there was reportedly little hope deals would get done for the two big-name wide receivers involved in contract talks, and then all of a sudden there was.

Probabilities went from 50-50 to suddenly three-year deal worth the $43.5 million with the final two years serving as options. While Denver gave in by guaranteeing that much money, the concession was given for that money to almost exclusively impact the first three years.

We can scoff at mid-tier quarterbacks getting those late-year options that will rarely come into play, but if Thomas doesn't continue to be a top tier receiver as Denver switches to new quarterback, it would be much easier from a management perspective to part ways with a 30-year-old receiver versus those quarterbacks. None of this suggests Thomas is just a creation of his quarterback, but the Broncos have appeared to have an exit plan just in case. It’s worth noting in the same vein that Thomas wasn’t even the most efficient receiver on the Broncos last season, at least by Reception NEP per target. That was around $20 million would be coming off the Denver salary cap in 2016. That would leave plenty of room for a Miller extension.

But if Manning returns for another season, Miller could be headed for the franchise tag. Yet, unlike the Bryant deal, the higher cap numbers early in the contract could lead to a new extension after three years that could push money into future seasons and make room for the Houston-type of contract Miller is likely to receive.