A surprise team emerged victorious in the Von Miller sweepstakes. The decorated edge rusher is set to sign with the Bills, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Bills have announced the signing.
Linked to the Cowboys, Rams and Browns as the legal tampering period wound down, Miller is set to provide a big boost to the Bills’ edge-rushing corps next season. The Bills convinced the future Hall of Famer with a monster offer. Miller is heading to Buffalo on a six-year deal worth $120MM, Rapoport adds (on Twitter).
This contract is not a true $20MM-per-year accord, with Rapoport noting the deal averages $17.5MM across its first four seasons (Twitter link). That said, Buffalo will still pay up to land one of the top pass rushers in NFL history. It includes $51.5MM fully guaranteed (including $45MM at signing), Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes (on Twitter) it will pay $53MM by 2023.
The edge rusher market began to move Tuesday, when the Broncos poached Randy Gregory from the Cowboys. Gregory’s last-minute switch took away one of Miller’s options, after the 11-year Bronco teased a reunion. The Rams and Cowboys continued to pursue Miller, with Rapoport adding Sean McVay spent Wednesday attempting to convince him to stay in L.A. (Twitter link). But the Bills spent Wednesday wooing Miller as well. As a result, the Bills secured one of the biggest free agency victories in franchise history.
Miller, 33 next week, missed the entire 2020 season and suffered a midseason injury to close out his Broncos tenure last year. But he bolstered his value considerably with the Rams, recording nine sacks across the team’s final eight games — including two in Super Bowl LVI — alongside Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd. The Rams were viewed as the favorites earlier Wednesday, and it will be interesting to learn how far they were willing to go to keep Miller.
Los Angeles will likely pick up a 2023 compensatory pick for losing Miller, for whom they sent second- and third-rounders ahead of last year’s trade deadline. The rental worked out, but the Bills giving Miller his second $100MM-plus contract weakens Los Angeles’ pass rush. Miller is the first defensive player in NFL history to sign two $100MM pacts, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, with this following up the six-year, $114.1MM Broncos extension he inked months after winning Super Bowl 50 MVP honors in 2016.
Although Miller is going into his 12th season, he has said he wants to play several more years. He has mentioned Bruce Smith‘s sack record as a goal. While that figure (200) will be difficult for the former No. 2 overall pick to reach, Miller (115.5) will chase it in the same city Smith played. He stands to help a Bills team that has struggled to assemble a consistent edge rush in recent years. The Bills will pair Miller with recent high draft choices Gregory Rousseau, Boogie Basham and A.J. Epenesa. Veterans Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison hit free agency today.
This also marks yet another NFC-to-AFC transaction on the edge rusher circuit. Gregory, Miller, Chandler Jones, Za’Darius Smith and Khalil Mack are now in the AFC, which features some oft-discussed quarterbacks as well. The Bills will fit Miller’s contract onto a payroll that includes Josh Allen‘s $43MM-per-year pact. A Stefon Diggs extension figures to be on the radar in 2022 as well.
wow 6 years for 120 m i wonder how thats gonna work for the bills. nfl contracts are a joke anyways.
Yeah last 3-4 years are probably all salary so he will get cut and they pay nothing.
Overpay
Hold off on judgment until you see how much is guaranteed. NFL contracts almost never play out like they’re announced.
What….how….6 years 120 million…..what, good for him im happy for his family, but what an agent he has
Might as well throw money over Niagara Falls!!
120 million. WTF is Buffalo thinking? 6 years? I hope its front loaded like 60 mill first 2 years then 60 mill last 4 or something smart.
But when it goes to these peoples teams, WOW WHAT A DEAL and their GM IS A GENIUS! Trillers be trollin.
People reacting to the total number, is this your first day following the NFL?
Think people are reacting more to giving a 33 year old pass rusher 120 million dollars over 6 years. We will see how much guaranteed money he is receiving. But if the number is 80-90 mill guaranteed Buffallo overpaid.
EDIT: 32 mill guaranteed it looks like. Not bad.
Obviously the raw numbers were always going to be wildly out of whack with the real money.
People seem to think all contracts in all sports are like mlb deals where every penny is guaranteed. Also that it all counts against the team’s total payroll/salary cap.
Try again. 53M owed before 2023. 45M at signing.
You know you don’t add those numbers, right?
Jesus this deal is wild, it’s not like he’s Suh in his prime or anything, this must be a snap reaction after the dolphins made all those upgrades
The real contract within this contract is a hair more than Chandler Jones got per year. I’m guessing it’s more a reaction to that than to the Dolphins signing Connor Williams and Chase Edmunds.
They won’t pay him anywhere near $120 million. He probably won’t even get half of that.
Lol… the dolphins haven’t upgraded shat…
4 hours ago the Rams were supposedly in the driver’s seat to re-sign him. Just making stuff up I guess.
If a weather report there’s only a 15% chance of rain and it rains, the weather report wasn’t wrong.
Anyone in the running for a player till another team comes in and give a bigger offer. I’ll take the money too
Massive overpay. Nice for the rest of the league
Wow, no wonder the Broncos and Rams passed. I figured him to be 4@$18 tops.
Holy crap.
The real money is 3 years $53 million.
Commenters Outraged Because They Don’t Understand How Voidable Years in NFL Contracts Work to Reduce Cap Hits Challenge
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It’s also a system team owners love, because it makes people think players are making much, much more money than they are.
I’m trying to remember, was the topic of “voidable years” covered in algebra, geometry, American History or Phys Ed?????
Reading past the headline was taught in reading comprehension, I hope.
It’s more the general lack of awareness to identify ridiculous things that couldn’t possibly be real, like elite worldwide cabals drinking the blood of children for energy or geotracking vaccines. The lack of critical thinking among the populace has fallen so hard and so fast that the extinction of the human race feels inevitable at this point.
Von Miller six-year, $120 million max value Buffalo Bills contract has a $53 million payout in first three years, $32 million fully guaranteed at signing, $52 million in total guarantees, per league source. Great deal for veteran pass rusher #BillsMafia
Finally, the real terms of the deal.
Great deal for both.
What does Bills Mafia mean?
Did they sign Vinny Pestano?
But the Cowboys and the Broncos and the Rams though…
Von gets paid up front and if he still performs he’s still paid. After first 2 years it’ll be year by year basis for him. If people haven’t figured it out yet, Brandon Beane is smarter than all of us combined. Great deal for the biggest need the Bills had the last 2 years plus not to mention the more Torino for the 3 youngins in Rosseau Bashem, and Epinesa.
Miller got the bag, Beane & Bills made a good deal. Now what do the Cowboys do? Smith, & Jones are already off the board, Nassib Im sure gets picked up quick. Gotta re-sign Armstrong or I guess get Clowney? But who wants that. JPP on a 2 year or something I figure.
That’s just crazy money.
What’s the point in a 6 year 120mil if the player and team know it won’t play out fully.
No way he will collect 17.5 odd mil at 39
A lot of $ for a questionable player. That could have been an expensive mistake. Time will tell I guess
This is why Paton traded him last year. He did projections, knew he couldn’t hold him, didn’t want the dialog, and needed the pics to solidify a best-of QB deal.
Miller was going to “the Bills” regardless just nobody knew it yet.
That’s one savvy dude.
Everyone is dumb
Read the language of the contract
He’s not getting the full 120
I remember years back the giants signed Lava Arrington to a 7 year deal and cut him after 1 season
NFL contracts are always like that. It’s weird, how they get away with that. When the NFL is way bigger than the NBA and MLB, yet the players contracts are trash compared to those of the other sports
Miller isn’t even going to get close to Bruce Smith, come on now. He’s 33 and almost 90 sacks away. He’ll be lucky to get 50-60 more.
This dude has become a ring chasing mercenary. Can’t blame him though, Buffalo paid up. It’ll be interesting to see how he sustains himself in his mid thirties. The all time legends do it. We’ll see where Miller stands in a few years.
Highly overpaid but if he helps the Bills win a SB it’s worth it.
I’m posting this late but Von Miller has ended up with the best fan base in America. I’m a Broncos fan but there’s no greater fan base than any sport than Bills Mafia.
Bills Mafia Will March out early Sunday morning all red and blue with smiles on their faces with their team going 6 and 10 and make the most of it like it’s church. They just really love their team. I’m glad he’s in a good spot and he’s getting paid well.