In his final game of his first season with Washington, veteran Von Miller makes it clear he wants to return to the Commanders in 2026
With over 30 free agents heading into the offseason and a long list of stay or go decisions for general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, pass rusher Von Miller made clear that he wants to return to the Washington Commanders in 2026.
"I'll definitely be back next year. I want to be a Commander. I'll be 37 years old. I'm not in a position to say where I want to go and what I want to do. Whoever wants me, I'm going to put my pads up and I'm going to show up and I'm going to be there. I would love to be a Commander," Miller said following the win.
The moment came shortly after Miller notched his ninth sack of the season, hitting a contract incentive in the process along with tying DeMarcus Ware with 138.5 career sacks. It took nearly the entirety of the game after taking down Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee on 3rd and ten, setting up the game-sealing fourth down incompletion before the Commanders came out in victory formation to close the book on the 2025 season.
The ninth sack remains the most on the Commanders while ranking 18th in the NFL.
"It was very special, man," Miller said. "When I came here and visited with [Dan Quinn] on my visit in I want to say early July, those are some of the things that we talked about. They asked me what I want to do, I said 'I can't walk walk away from the game until I pass DeMarcus.' I tied him."
While addressing the pass rush is a top focus in the draft, whether the Commanders opt to bring the veteran back is worth tracking after putting together a quietly productive season, playing in every game for the first time since 2018. His nine sacks also marked the most since the 2021 season while he added 26 total tackles and one safety on the season.
“I got to get one more year with the Commanders, bro,” Von Miller said on the Free Range Von Miller podcast. “Like, I know we talked about in this show, we talked about having a chance to go to the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Like, I’m just going to tell you the truth. F*** all that. Excuse my language. First year, they go to the NFC Championship. Next year we get injured a lot. That third year is where you like boom, go to Super Bowl and do some crazy stuff.”
Miller echoed that sentiment in his final postgame appearance of the 2025 season.
"I just feel so blessed and appreciative to have this group of guys around, this group of coaches. Everybody in that building is high character - media guys, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers. Everybody is all about winning. And it's more than just winning. Everybody is tied in to making you better. They genuinely care about you here with this organization and it's been an honor and a privilege to be here."