The Denver Broncos have signed Elvis Dumervil to a 6-year extension worth $61.5 million, including over $43 million in guaranteed money. The extension included a raise for the coming season with an additional 5 years added on. This means Dumervil will be in Denver through the 2015 season. Many Broncos fans feel this was the best move Josh McDaniels has made since he took over as the Broncos Head Coach following the 2008 season.

For most teams, signing a key player is big news -- for the Broncos it was HUGE news. Prior the the Dumervil extension, many fans felt alienated by some of the surprising moves made by Josh McDaniels. Jay Cutler gone, Brandon Marshall gone, Tony Scheffler gone, Payton Hillis gone. Broncos fans saw their favorite players leaving town and wondered if Dumervil was next. He proved to be a great player in the first few years of his career and even led the NFL in sacks last season. There was still a feeling that since Dumervil was drafted by Mike Shanahan, it was only a matter of time until McDaniels ran him out of town. Well Broncos fans you can rest easy – Elvis will be in Denver for many more years.

To me the signing of Elvis Dumervil is BIG for a couple reasons.

1) The Broncos showed they are willing to spend money. There were some fans wondering if the Broncos were getting cheap (which under the current economic climate is understandable) or if the CBA was holding up the negotiations with Dumervil. I think it’s safe to say that if the Broncos think a player is worth it, they will have no problem doing everything they can to keep them in Denver.

2) The Broncos will have a dominant pass rusher for the foreseeable future. Elvis Dumervil is 3rd in the NFL in sacks since he came into the league in 2006 (behind Jared Allen  and DeMarcus Ware ). When other teams game plan for the Broncos, they will have to spend a great deal of time figuring out what to do with Elvis. While opposing teams try to take care of Dumervil with extra blockers, Robert Ayers, DJ Williams and the rest of the linebackers should be able to pressure the opposing quarterbacks.

Who’s the best pass rusher in the NFL?  Will Robert Ayers be able to improve and give the Broncos a nice 1-2 punch at outside linebacker?