The Denver Broncos had an opportunity to bolster their roster with a player who is an eight-time Pro Bowler, a three-time First Team All-Pro, and a two-time Super Bowl champion – and Super Bowl MVP – this past offseason.
According to that player, Von Miller, the timing was not right for a Broncos return.
Miller, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2011 draft, spoke candidly about his desire to return to the Broncos and his plans once his playing career is over, drawing attention with his remarks.
Von Miller Wanted to Re-Join Broncos
GettyVon Miller #24 of the Washington Commanders warms up before facing the Green Bay Packers.
Miller, who some viewed as a potential clash of personality with head coach Sean Payton, took his wishes to the top, securing the ear of Broncos general manager George Paton this past offseason.
“I was a free agent for a long time. I did reach out to the Denver Broncos, and I tried to be on the Denver Broncos as well. But it was just a short conversation with me and George Paton. Because at the same time, I want to be a GM, and I think that’s not a secret. Whenever I look at teams, I’m looking at it from a GM perspective. And it just wasn’t a fit for Von Miller to be on this team. The second string guys after Nik Bonitto and after Jonathon Cooper, those guys get sacks, too,” Miller said on his “Free Range” podcast on November 19.
“I think they both have 5.0 sacks each. And they both play special teams, and they do all the grunt work. You know me, I’m a three-point shooter. I’m gonna come in, I’m gonna shoot a three-pointer. When I’m in the game, I’m ball hogging, and I’m just trying to make a play, and they take me out. But they didn’t really need that. They didn’t really need that this year. They had guys that shot the three that came off the bench.”
Instead, Miller signed with the Washington Commanders, the Broncos’ Week 13 host and opponent. He has 5.0 sacks on the season despite playing fewer than 40% of the Commanders’ defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.
The Broncos, meanwhile, lead the NFL with 49 sacks entering Week 13.
Backup edge rushers Dondrea Tillman (1.5 sacks) and Jonah Elliss (1.0) have not matched their totals of last season. However, the Broncos’ interior linemen also rush the passer well.
Zach Allen (6.0) and John Franklin-Myers (4.5) are third and fourth behind Bonitto (9.5) and Cooper (7.5), while nickleback Ja’Quan McMillian is fifth on the team with 4.0 sacks, underscoring how deep the Broncos’ pass rush is, even without Miller.
Von Miller Knew Return to Denver Was Long Shot
GettyVon Miller #40 of the Buffalo Bills walks to the field before a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
Miller, who spent 2024 with the Buffalo Bills, did not go into that meeting with Paton about returning to the Broncos blindly. He understood long before that the kind of roster they had and how that would factor into their plans for the rest of their group, including his position.
“I haven’t heard anything. But it really, if you look at it this year, it really doesn’t make sense. They got two really, really good rushers that are best in league. Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto are incredible rushers. And the guys underneath them, they come in, they produce sacks too. And they play special teams. I’m not playing special teams. That’s something I think at 36 years old, I can say that I probably wouldn’t be doing that,” Miller told reporters in May. “It’s just this year, probably not. But the year after that, next year, we’ll see what happens.”
In Week 13, Miller has an opportunity to show what the Broncos missed out on.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Broncos Made Final Call on All-Pro Super Bowl Champ After ‘Short Conversation’ appeared first on Heavy Sports.