What the fax!!! Wanna hear a story that sounds like it’s straight out of a comedy movie? Then, let’s rewind to 2013. Broncos edge rusher Elvis Dumervil had just completed his seven years in Mile High City. So, coming into the 2013 season, Dumervil was slated to make $12M fully guaranteed (for one season). Seeing him do so, the Broncos thought they were paying him too much money. Make no mistake—Dumervil had 84 sacks to his name with over 200 combined tackles at that time. Still, they weren’t satisfied with him earning $12M no matter what. So, they asked him to restructure his deal. And that’s when all hell broke loose, giving birth to one of the NFL’s most controversial stories.
See, Dumervil agreed to his pay cut, slashing his $12M contract to $8M. But it still wasn’t enough for the Broncos to keep hold of their seven-year veteran. So, there was this creator on X, Brett Kollmann, who helped us remember this Dumervil fiasco that shocked the league. “Remember when the Broncos had to waive Elvis Dumervil because of a faulty fax machine in the literal final 30 minutes of the league year, and then he got 27 sacks over the following two seasons in Baltimore.” Sounds crazy, right? I mean, in the era of scanners, electronic signatures. A dreaded fax machine apparently was the reason behind Dumervil’s divorce from the Broncos. Unbelievable!!!
Remember when the Broncos had to waive Elvis Dumervil because of a faulty fax machine in the literal final 30 minutes of the league year, and then he got 27 sacks over the following two seasons in Baltimore.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) March 25, 2025
Let me explain to you what actually happened in those frantic 30 minutes. So, sit tight and grab your popcorn. Apparently, the Broncos gave Dumervil’s former agent Marty Magid a 1 p.m. deadline to accept the deal. But as per then-NFL.com’s analyst Albert Breer, Denver didn’t hear from Dumervil’s agent until 1:25 p.m. Just to remind you, only 35 minutes were left on the clock until the NFL’s deadline. So, with time running out, Magid failed to send the fax through on time. When his faxed paperwork finally arrived, it was already six minutes late. Denver had already released Dumervil to avoid paying him his fully guaranteed $12M.
Later, one Broncos source even said, “We had to protect ourselves.” Did they protect themselves with that move? Well, upon releasing Dumervil, the Broncos took a $4.89M salary cap hit. Not only that. The Broncos had to watch Dumervil sign for their AFC rivals and hit the ground running from the get-go. Spoiler alert: He got an even better deal and a home that actually respected his talents.
Dumervil saga: Broncos’ loss was Ravens’ gain
“What happens, happens for the best.” That saying sits the best with retired NFL edge rusher Elvis Dumervil. After giving the Broncos his all for seven years. Just because they didn’t want him to earn $12M a season. They simply released him, blaming his agent for making a colossal mistake. So, as soon as Dumervil hit free agency, the Ravens didn’t waste any time in snapping him up. He agreed to a 5-year deal worth $35M, making him $8.5M in his first year. You see, that’s cheeky from the Ravens. Dumervil was only slated to make $8M if that fax did go through.
But because it didn’t, he ended up getting a raise elsewhere. So, without wasting any time, the 5-time Pro Bowler hit the ground running. In his first season with the Ravens, Dumervil racked up 31 combined tackles and 9.5 sacks. Then, the following season was even more monstrous. Dumervil was simply a nightmare to offensive lines and QBs. Matching his 2019 career high sacks, 17, Elvis was unstoppable, setting a Ravens franchise sack record.
And once his 12-year career was over, with 105 1/2 sacks. He even ranked 6th in the Ravens’ all-time sack leaderboard. Judging by the impact Dumervil had in Baltimore. The Broncos were probably cursing themselves, asking why they didn’t pay him while there was still a window. But at least Dumervil got the respect and money he deserved in Baltimore, which he didn’t get even after giving his seven years to Mile High City.
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