Von Miller

Cardinals, Cowboys Pursued Von Miller

November 7th, 2021 at 7:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams weren’t the only team in pursuit. The Cardinals and Cowboys also chased Von Miller before the trade deadline, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Miller is on track for free agency this spring, so the Cowboys and Cardinals could get another shot at him soon. However, the Rams are working diligently to make sure that can’t happen — they’re already discussing a new deal for the 11th-year pro.

“We’re actually looking at this from a standpoint of how soon can he help us, can he help us if we’re fortunate enough to continue going and make the 2021 tournament, how can he help us there,” Rams GM Les Snead said last week. “And then there’s a long-term vision for Von as well.”

The Cardinals surely could have used the future Hall of Famer after losing defensive end J.J. Watt to injury. Now, they’ll have to see him on the other side of the ball, with their first meeting in Week 14. The Cowboys, who don’t have the Rams on the regular season docket, clearly lacked pressure against the Miller-less Broncos today.

Miller, 32, has 110.5 sacks to his credit, more than any other active player in the NFL. He’s only notched 4.5 sacks so far this year, and he won’t dress for tonight’s game against Tennessee, but he can start adding to that total next week against SF.

Rams Have Discussed Extension With Von Miller’s Camp

November 2nd, 2021 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller is due to be a first-time free agent in March and may be headed for a third NFL team at that point. But the Rams, who traded for the 11th-year pass rusher Monday, figure to factor into that equation. They have already broached the topic of Miller being in Los Angeles beyond this season.

GM Les Snead said Tuesday he has spoken with Miller’s representatives about an extension, via ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry. The Broncos are paying $9MM of the $9.7MM remaining on Miller’s current contract, but the Rams surrendered second- and third-round picks in the 2022 draft — a price well north of where anyone else was willing to go. That points to the team viewing Miller as more than a rental.

“We’re actually looking at this from a standpoint of how soon can he help us, can he help us if we’re fortunate enough to continue going and make the 2021 tournament, how can he help us there,” Snead said. “And then there’s a long-term vision for Von as well.”

Los Angeles has Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd signed, respectively, to $22.5MM- and $16MM-AAV contracts. Although many changes will take place, the Rams are projected to again be near the bottom in cap space. Cap constraints, however, have not exactly deterred them from making impact moves previously during the Snead regime. The team also has the matter of what will likely be a monster Matthew Stafford extension; the MVP candidate’s Lions-constructed deal runs through 2022. A Stafford deal could free up some money, though the prospect of Miller staying in L.A. for his age-33 season and beyond will largely hinge on his performance down the stretch.

Miller’s 110.5 sacks are the most among active players, and the future Hall of Famer sits at 4.5 this season. The Broncos engaged the Rams on the prospect of a Miller trade, Snead said, and the negotiations took place shortly after the teams agreed on a lower-profile deal that sent linebacker Kenny Young to Denver.

“[Broncos GM] George [Paton] reached out at the end of the week and we just couldn’t take on, based on what we’ve done in the past with our cap situation, just can’t take on Von Miller, so that’s when we discussed what it would take from each side,” Snead said of the trade talks. “I think as they were analyzing their situation, we were analyzing ours and we came up with what we felt like was something that was good for the Rams and the Broncos.”

Broncos GM: Two Other Teams Called On Von Miller

November 2nd, 2021 at 6:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos’ post-Peyton Manning decline led to Von Miller landing in trade rumors ahead of recent trade deadlines, and first-year GM George Paton pulled the trigger this year by sending the future Hall of Fame edge rusher to the Rams on Monday. Other teams showed interest, but the Rams won out.

Two other teams called the Broncos on Miller, Paton said Tuesday (via The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones, on Twitter). However, the Rams are believed to have made by far the best offer. The other interested franchises did not offer the Broncos anything of substance for Miller, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. This essentially put Paton to a decision on keeping the decorated sack artist for the stretch run and considering another extension or taking Los Angeles’ offer of two 2022 Day 2 picks — which came after the Broncos agreed to pay most of Miller’s prorated base salary.

Trade discussions began in earnest Friday and wrapped up Sunday night, Paton said (via The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, on Twitter). Miller met with Paton, John Elway and CEO Joe Ellis on Monday morning. Paton said he wanted to “do right by” Miller, the Broncos’ all-time sack leader and by far the team’s longest-tenured player.

The eight-time Pro Bowler will now join Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd on the Rams’ front seven and catch on with a 7-1 team. Miller missed the Broncos’ Week 8 game against Washington, which featured the team’s second-string edge rushers faring well, but is not believed to have suffered a serious injury in Denver’s Week 7 loss in Cleveland.

Miller, 32, is in the final months of the six-year, $114.1MM extension he signed with the Broncos at the 2016 franchise tag deadline. The Rams will have exclusive negotiating rights with Miller ahead of free agency, but they already have Donald and Floyd signed to big-ticket contracts. Being cuffed via the fifth-year option in 2015 and franchise-tagged in ’16, Miller has never been a free agent. His upcoming Rams performance will go a long way in shaping his 2022 market. Miller has 4.5 sacks this season, though none have come since Week 4.

After acquiring Miller and Matthew Stafford, the Rams now are without first- and second-round picks in 2022. While the Rams dealt the Broncos a third as well, the Lions hiring previous Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes as GM brought Los Angeles back an additional third-rounder in next year’s draft.

As for the Broncos, the 4-4 team is still without Bradley Chubb. Miller and Chubb each ran into significant injuries during their three-plus seasons together, and the duo last finished a game together in September 2019. Paton hopes Chubb can return after Denver’s Week 11 bye, NFL.com’s James Palmer adds (on Twitter). Chubb, who missed most of the 2019 season with an ACL tear, has undergone two ankle surgeries this year. Denver, which has lost both starting inside linebackers for the season, used Malik Reed and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper as outside linebacker starters in Week 8. Recent trade acquisition Stephen Weatherly collected a sack in rotational duty.

Broncos Trade Von Miller To Rams

November 1st, 2021 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have agreed to trade Von Miller to the Rams (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). In exchange, the Rams will send a second-round draft pick and a third-round selection in upcoming draft.

The Broncos will assume $9MM of Miller’s remaining salary, allowing the future Hall of Famer to squeeze under the Rams’ salary cap. That also enabled the Broncos to score a much larger haul than they would have otherwise.

The ten-year veteran missed all of 2020 with an ankle injury, prompting the Broncos to ask him for a pay cut earlier this year. Instead, the Broncos exercised his option to guarantee much of his $18MM salary. He’s still on course for unrestricted free agency next year, but he was hoping to finish out the season in Denver.

“I have totally bought into being a Coloradoan for life, let alone a Denver Bronco,” Miller said on Instagram in March. “I want to be here forever, through the thick, the thin, the Super Bowl seasons, the losing seasons. I want to be here forever.”

The Broncos improved to .500 on the year with yesterday’s win over the Washington Football Team, but GM George Paton chose to bolster his long-term prospects by trading Miller. As noted by Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link), the Broncos would have only received a compensatory 2023 fifth-round pick by allowing Miller to leave via free agency. Instead, they’ve scored a pair of valuable Day 2 picks for the upcoming draft — a clear upgrade for 2022 and beyond.

Meanwhile, Miller will provide a serious boost to the Rams’ already star-studded defense. Even at the age of 32, Miller still has plenty left in the tank, as shown by his performance in September. Miller opened the year with four sacks across the first three weeks of the season to notch AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors. Meanwhile, he’s started in all seven of his games, bringing his career total to 142. All in all, the Super Bowl 50 MVP has 110.5 career sacks to his credit to lead the Broncos’ all-time list.

The Rams will now deploy Miller alongside Aaron Donald on the defensive line, in front of a secondary headlined by Jalen Ramsey. He’ll make his debut at home on Sunday when the Rams face the 6-2 Titans.

Von Miller Discusses Long-Term Plans, Recovery From Ankle Injury

July 12th, 2021 at 5:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller‘s Pro Bowl run and dominant showing in the 2015 playoffs placed him on course to be a Hall of Famer. The Broncos’ all-time sack leader, however, hit a road block last year in the form of a severe ankle injury wiping out his entire 2020 season.

The 10-year veteran has said in the past he did not have retirement on the immediate horizon. Now 32 and coming off a major injury setback, Miller reaffirmed that stance and added some clarity to his post-injury career outlook.

“I’ve got a son. He’ll be here in about three or four weeks. I definitely want him to be able to see me play. That’s going to take about five to seven years,” Miller said, via Mike Klis of 9News. “That’s what I have on my heart. That’s what I have on my mind: another five to seven years.”

Despite rumors the Broncos would force Miller to take a pay cut to return in 2021, new GM George Paton picked up his 2021 option in March. Miller is set to play out his then-record six-year, $114.1MM contract; he will make $17.5MM in base salary this season. The Broncos have not had both Miller and Bradley Chubb line up together since Week 4 of the 2019 season. Denver picked up Chubb’s fifth-year option in March, and Paton views the 2018 first-round pick as a building-block player. It is unclear where Miller fits in long-term, but he has long professed a desire to stay in Denver.

A number of edge rushers have played into their late 30s, with Julius Peppers, Terrell Suggs and Dwight Freeney establishing a modern-era foundation for such longevity. Miller, who is 8-for-8 in Pro Bowls in seasons in which he finished, returned from a December 2013 ACL tear with a 14-sack 2014 season. Without contract certainty beyond 2021, the former Super Bowl MVP enters a key season to re-establish his run as one of the league’s best pass rushers.

A dislocated peroneal tendon just before the 2020 season sidelined Miller, who underwent surgery shortly after. He participated in Denver’s offseason program and is nearly back to full strength.

“I’m feeling good. My ankle is about 94%,” Miller said. “The 6% I got to get I got to get rushing the passer in practice with pads on, leaning on guys, guys leaning on me. I haven’t rushed the passer in over year. Haven’t played in a game in longer than that.”

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Arnette, Sowers

May 26th, 2021 at 8:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

After missing all of the 2020 season due to a torn ankle tendon, Von Miller has been on the field for the Broncos‘ OTA sessions this week. New Broncos GM George Paton went down to the wire on picking up the All-Pro pass rusher’s 2021 option but ended up doing so. Miller is going into a contract year, having played five seasons on the then-defender-record six-year, $114.1MM deal he inked in 2016. Uncertainty about his future notwithstanding, the 32-year-old linebacker would like to stay in Denver on another contract.

“I always had an internal faith that I would be here. I said a long time ago that I want to be a Bronco for life. I always felt like that even though the business and all of this stuff,” Miller said, via DenverBroncos.com’s Aric DiLalla.

This will be a pivotal year for the Broncos’ all-time sack leader, considering a possible free agency bid looms in 2022. Miller has said he plans to play several more seasons. He and Bradley Chubb have not worked together for a lengthy stretch since 2018, but the duo will obviously be counted on to spearhead a talented defense. Here is more from Denver and the latest from the rest of the AFC West:

Chubb recently underwent an ankle procedure that is expected to sideline him until training camp. Vic Fangio said the team thought the injury, which shelved Chubb for last season’s final two games, would heal without surgery. The third-year Broncos HC also indicated bone spurs bothered Chubb, leading to the surgery, and that doctors believed Chubb would be sidelined until mid-August. Evidently, he is set to beat that timetable and return by the start of camp. The Broncos recently picked up the outside linebacker’s fifth-year option, locking him down through 2022.
Details on the Broncos’ Bobby Massie contract are in; the pact, per usual, is a bit team-friendlier than initially reported. The reported $4MM deal is actually a one-year, $2.5MM accord, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The Broncos are guaranteeing the longtime Bears right tackle $1.58MM, Klis tweets, and the previously reported $4MM figure includes a $1.5MM incentive package. Massie and fellow May signing Cameron Fleming are set to compete for the right tackle job that became vacant after Ja’Wuan James‘ Achilles tear.
The Raiders might be considering shifting 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette from the outside to the slot, Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Gus Bradley‘s staff watched Ohio State film in order to best position Arnette, who could shift inside if recent addition Casey Hayward commandeers a starting job outside. Injuries and COVID-19 limited Arnette to nine games as a rookie. Pro Football Focus graded him 116th out of 121 qualified corners last season.
Katie Sowers made history by coaching in Super Bowl LIV. After her four-year 49ers tenure ended, Sowers will join the other team that participated in that game. The Chiefs are adding Sowers to their staff, via the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Sowers confirmed the move (Instagram link). Sowers, 34, caught on with the 49ers via this program. Sowers went to college near Kansas City, receiving a master’s degree from Central Missouri.

Von Miller Wants To Be Bronco For Life

March 21st, 2021 at 12:18pm CST by Rory Parks

Just a few days ago, it was unclear if LB Von Miller would be playing for a team other than the Broncos in 2021. After all, he missed all of last season due to an ankle injury, and the team was hoping he would agree to a pay cut. But Miller held his ground, and the Broncos ended up exercising an option that guarantees $7MM of Miller’s $18MM salary in 2021.

Still, Miller will be due for unrestricted free agency next year, and although he made the Pro Bowl in 2019, the eight sacks he posted that season were his lowest total since a suspension-shortened 2013 campaign. So while he will remain with the only team he has ever known this year, his future beyond that remains uncertain.

If the soon-to-be 32-year-old has it his way, though, he will be with the Broncos until the day he decides to retire. “I have totally bought into being a Coloradoan for life, let alone a Denver Bronco,” Miller recently said on Instagram (via Troy Renck of Denver 7). “I want to be here forever, through the thick, the thin, the Super Bowl seasons, the losing seasons. I want to be here forever.”

Per Renck, the Broncos were unified in their desire to retain Miller, and with Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed also in the fold, Denver could trot out a rather imposing pass rush in 2021. The club’s secondary should also be in good shape, as it has added Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller in recent days to bolster a group that already included Bryce Callahan — who can now return to his familiar nickel CB role — and the recently-extended Justin Simmons.

Renck also says that Denver could approach Miller about an extension that would lower his 2021 cap hit of $22.225MM. But given the uncertainty created by his age and recent injury, it’s unclear if the two sides would be able to come to terms on a multi-year pact at this point.

Broncos Pick Up Von Miller’s Option

March 16th, 2021 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos will exercise Von Miller‘s option for the 2021 season, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. By picking up the edge rusher’s option, the Broncos will lock in $7MM of Miller’s $18MM total payout for 2021.

Broncos GM George Paton indicated that he wanted to keep Miller, though the team was hoping to negotiate a new deal at a lesser rate. Instead, Miller held his ground, so he’ll play out the final year of his six-year, $114.5MM contract.

Miller missed all of 2020 while replacement Malik Reed enjoyed a breakout year with eight sacks and 17 quarterback hits. Along with Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb (7.5 sacks, 19 QB hits), the Broncos got a preview of what their pass rush could look like without Miller. Still, Vic Fangio & Co. felt that the defense would be even better with Miller and Chubb playing alongside each other. To date, they’ve lined up together just four times. It’s also worth noting that Denver placed 13th in DVOA in the 2019 and ’20 seasons — good, but not great. With Miller healthy and back on board, the Broncos have the potential to rank much higher.

AFC West Notes: V. Miller, Henry, T. Brown

March 14th, 2021 at 12:42pm CST by Rory Parks

Here’s a quick roundup of some AFC West rumblings:

There is still no clarity on whether the Broncos will bring back LB Von Miller in 2021. As Mike Klis of 9News.com writes, new Denver GM George Paton met with Miller for the first time last week, and Klis believes a paycut is no longer on the table. Miller is due an $18MM salary in 2021, and by March 16, Paton must decide whether to pick up an option that would guarantee $7MM of that $18MM payout. While the Broncos would prefer to have Miller take a cut, given that he missed the entire 2020 season, J.J. Watt‘s new $14MM/year deal with the Cardinals suggests that Miller would be disinclined to do so. Which means that Paton has the difficult task of deciding between a major financial hit for an aging star coming off a serious injury and releasing one of the greatest defensive players in franchise history. The good news is that Miller appears to be back to full speed, at least according to a workout video he recently posted to Instagram.
The Chargers decided against putting the franchise tag on TE Hunter Henry, but Henry is still open to returning to the Bolts. “I will say I’m not ruling out the Chargers,” Henry recently told TMZ Sports. “I’m not ruling out the Chargers and I won’t rule out the Chargers.” Though Henry comes with some health concerns, he is also just 26 and still has the chance to be one of the league’s top receiving TEs. He also has the chance to serve as one of Justin Herbert‘s top targets for the foreseeable future — a proposition that he admits could lead him back to LA — but he will have no shortage of suitors when the legal tampering period opens tomorrow.
Before he was traded to the Patriots, former Raiders tackle Trent Brown was considered a release candidate. But as Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets, Vegas had no intention of cutting Brown (at least not yet). The club planned to bring him to training camp to earn his keep, but New England’s offer, along with Brown’s willingness to rework his contract, triggered the deal. Still, Brown’s hold on his roster spot in Vegas couldn’t have been very strong, as the Raiders dealt him and a 2022 seventh-rounder for a 2022 fifth-rounder.

Von Miller Will Not Face Charges

March 5th, 2021 at 4:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller is not certain to be back with the Broncos for an 11th season, but the veteran linebacker navigated a key issue Friday. He will not face charges in connection with an unspecified incident, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

An investigation of this incident began in January, and the Parker (Colo.) Police Department turned the case over to the D.A.’s office late last month. Neither the police nor the district attorney revealed the nature of the investigation.

“After reviewing all of the materials, the District Attorney’s Office of the 18th Judicial District has determined that no charges will be filed in this case,” 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Vikki Migoya said in a statement, via Denver7’s Troy Renck. “Based on our review of information that is currently available, we cannot meet that standard and must decline to file charges in this case.”

Miller’s offseason will now transition to a Broncos decision. The team has until March 16 to pick up the future Hall of Famer’s 2021 option. Should the Broncos do so, Miller will be tethered to a $17.5MM base salary and $22.13MM cap number. But the Broncos have long been expected to ask their perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher to lower the latter number, via pay cut or possible extension.

New GM George Paton indicated Thursday he would like to have the soon-to-be 32-year-old defender back next season. Friday’s development stands to help on this front.

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