The Denver Broncos have plenty of elite pass rushers, but there’s another one who’s had a lot of experience sacking the quarterback who wants to join them, and it’s a familiar name indeed. According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, former Bronco Von Miller would love to come home and get after the quarterback for his old team.
Miller has lobbied for a return before, and this time around he did it during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.
“If something were to happen and I’m not a Washington Commander, then I would love to go to the Denver Broncos,” Miller said. “I didn’t get that chance to have closure. I didn’t get to walk into the stadium and be like, ‘OK, this is my last game’ or ‘I’m gonna do this with the fans.’ I didn’t get that closure. So, I would love to have closure with the Denver Broncos.”
Miller certainly has the street cred in Denver. He was drafted by the Broncos in 2011, and made three All-Pro teams and was named the MVP of Super Bowl 50 while playing in 142 games. The Broncos traded Miller to the Rams by GM George Paton in 2021, according to Alper, but Paton is now working with coach Sean Payton, who’s calling most of the personnel shots.
The former Bronco had nine sacks with the Washington Commanders last season, and Miller was careful not to rule out his old team in his comments to Eisen.
“Hey, the Commanders don’t want me, the Denver Broncos don’t want me, there’s a team out there that’s gonna pick me up that would love to have my tricks on their roster,” Miller said. “I just play it by ear. This is my second time around doing it. I kind of know what to expect. Just got to make the best out of whatever decision I get.”
It’s hard to tell if there’s a real fit here. Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph relies on young, fast speed rushers who come from all directions to attack the quarterback, and that’s not Miller at this point in his career. As Miller himself noted, he relies on veteran tricks to get his sacks, and he would likely have to be a rotational player.
The real problem here, as always, is money. The Broncos are projected to have $28 million in cap space right now, and while there’s always a way to manipulate those numbers, Denver would ask Miller to take something close to the veteran minimum.
That may or may not sit well with the former Broncos star. He’s one of the leading members of the “rent a pass rusher” club right now, and nine sacks will make him a lot more money if that’s his primary interest at this point in his career. It’s money vs. ring-chasing for Miller at the moment, and right now he’s working different outlets trying to drum up as much interest as he can for another go-round.