Broncos WR Brandon Marshall ditched the role of team menace two months ago and has played nice, and well, ever since. He has hugged it out with head coach Josh McDaniels on the sideline during a game after disrupting a practice with all sorts of antics before the season. The fourth-year veteran worked to get on the same page with QB Kyle Orton after a slow start. Denver even dropped the fines Marshall incurred for his preseason behavior and the top target has stayed out of trouble off the field.

It seems that all is well between Marshall and the Broncos. But will these positive steps lead to Marshall getting the contract extension he wanted before the Broncos said, "no thanks," sending the receiver into a tailspin of trade demands and selfish acts during the summer?

While Marshall and the team have put the contract dispute in the background for the time being, it will reemerge sooner or later and nothing appears to have significantly changed between either party when it comes to that matter. Marshall wants a long-term deal and the Broncos don't need to give him one. Due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement's rules for an uncapped year, Marshall is expected to be a restricted free agent in 2010. Marshall could hit unrestricted free agency if the owners and the players' union sat down and established a new agreement, but there has been little-to-no progress made on that front.

Denver also has to worry about new deals for OLB Elvis Dumervil and Orton, who both will be restricted free agents as well in the offseason barring a CBA breakthrough, and forking over a load of guaranteed money to Marshall when he could be had for a moderately priced one-year tender just wouldn't make much sense. The team could put the franchise or transition tag on Marshall, which would give him a higher salary than an RFA tender, but it would still be only a one-year contract, which isn't something Marshall has expressed interest in.

Unless Marshall is willing to make some concessions, the good vibes he shares with the team might only last for a short period. If there's one thing that McDaniels has made abundantly clear in his brief tenure, it's that he's not going to allow one player to dictate how the team handles its business.

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