The Broncos have locked up Matt Prater.

Not in a jail cell like the cops did when he drunkenly crashed his car in the parking lot of the La Quinta - in a contract that will keep the kicker in Denver for the next four seasons.

He's loaded now.

Not the kind of loaded he was when he pulled that stripper of out Shotgun Willie's only to abandon her when he found no rooms at the Inn - the money kind of loaded. He will probably earn somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-3.5 million per year under the new deal. He will be paid like one of the league's top kickers.

And he is one of the league's top kickers - despite his having the douchiest tattoos in all of football.

Now John Elway can prepare for training camp knowing that he doesn't have to worry about whether or not his kicker will be on the field. 

He needs only to worry about what his kicker will do next off the field.