After a day of reports of the "imminent" deal sending Denver quarterback Kyle Orton to Miami, the two sides seem to have settled into a stalemate. Both sides seems to be waiting for the other to blink, as Denver wants more in return, and Miami recognizes Denver has to make the move eventually.
The prevailing thought at this point is Miami is offering a 4th or 5th round draft choice, while Denver is looking for at least a 2nd or 3rd. Denver's front office feels that waiting, and even putting Orton on the field with the first team in this morning's practice, would make Miami up the offer.
However, the Dolphins also recognize that the Broncos will either have to trade Orton, cut him, or drastically restructure his deal as they look to fit him under the salary cap. At the same time, the team seems ready to move on to the Tim Tebow era.
Orton, meanwhile, wants a long term deal from the Dolphins establishing himself as the starter, and franchise quarterback; he's looking to not be a stop gap as Miami continues to search for a quarterback of the future.
However long this "staring contest" goes, it's actually favorable for Miami. Jeff Ireland isn't willing to mortgage the future of the franchise for one player. He's shown his own fiscal responsibility in staying away from free agents asking for the huge contracts that we have seen so far this summer, and is showing the same restraint with this trade. In his first offseason without Bill Parcells, not only is Ireland clearly making the moves to better this team, but he is doing it in a controlled manner, ensuring the team is ready to get even better in the future.