ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Maybe it's still the afterglow of a Super Bowl win and MVP award, but all is right in the world for Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller.
Miller said Thursday he thinks things will stay that way.
In a phone interview, Miller said he believes the Broncos have the talent to repeat as Super Bowl winners, that a long-term contract will get done with the Broncos and that his mentor, DeMarcus Ware, will return for the 2016 season.
"It feels like I've been here before -- we talked about [winning the Super Bowl] so much in the locker room,'' Miller said. "At the table where we sit all the time, Emmanuel [Sanders], me, [Aqib] Talib, T.J. [Ward], we talked about it so much. It feels like I've been here before. Chris Harris, all the guys, we've talked about this, dreamed it, in the locker room, it's surreal to be able to experience it.
"We've got plans of doing this again. We don't want it to be a one-year thing.''
Since the Broncos' 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Miller, who was on ESPN's Bristol, Connecticut, campus Thursday, has been on a whirlwind tour of A-list talk shows and had an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" to go with his his visit to ESPN.
He was named the game's MVP with his 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, including one in the first quarter that resulted in the Broncos' scoring a defensive touchdown after Miller had ripped the ball free from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Miller also had 2.5 sacks and an interception in the Broncos' win over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Other than quarterback Peyton Manning's pending decision about whether to retire, Miller is easily the most-talked-about player among the team's faithful. He is slated to be an unrestricted free agent in March and will command a new deal that could make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
The Broncos have the franchise tag to use and could designate Miller with that in the coming days to keep him off the open market while they try to work out a long-term deal.
Miller said Thursday he has every expectation he will have a long-term deal with the Broncos.
"I put in all the work I can possibly do,'' Miller said. "If I was with any other organization, if I was with any other team, maybe I'd be worried about everything, but I've got [executive vice president of football operations/general manager] John Elway. He's played, he's had experience with this whole process. I feel comfortable. Me and John's relationship is great: He was there when I was going through stuff and he never wavered. I feel like we won't waver now either. It will be a great experience, and it will be peaceful -- there's no reason for it not to be.''
Miller also said he believes Ware, who has one year remaining on his contract with the Broncos, will return for the 2016 season. Ware missed five games with a back injury this past season and will turn 33 years old on July 31.
Over the past two seasons Miller has repeatedly said Ware has been a key figure in both his personal and football life. During that time Miller has tried to rebound from a 2013 season when he was suspended six games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy and suffered a torn ACL in December of that year.
"Most definitely, I definitely think he's going to be back,'' Miller said. "We need him back. You saw the job he did, not only with me, but with everybody in the locker room. That alone is worth every penny, then when you add in his pass rush, all the skill he still has, of course I would like to keep DeMarcus and think he will be back.''
Miller said he knows people will look at him now to see how he will handle the attention of the Super Bowl MVP award. He said Thursday his recent television appearances were all part of the "two weeks off I was going to give myself,'' and that he is poised to get back in the weight room by next week.
"I've got my workouts planned, this following Monday,'' Miller said. "I plan on proving a point, just taking two weeks off, exactly, and I'm going to get back at it. That's what I've done previous two years and what I'm going to do now.''