It's hard for a star player to get traded off of the team they started their career at. For the Denver Broncos, they decided to move on from pass rusher and former second-overall pick Von Miller as they began retooling their roster, dealing him to the Los Angeles Rams. Miller won a Super Bowl with the Rams that season, and is now on his third team since the trade.
Miller was always appreciative of his time in Denver, and entering his first season with the Washington Commanders, he admits he misses them.
During on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast, Miller reflected on his time in Denver and how much they are thriving. Miller admitted that watching the team do well without him is like watching an ex be happy with a new significant other.
"It's like seeing your old girlfriend with a new guy, she's happy," said Miller. "...And now she’s starting to get in shape, she’s starting to look good now and she’s bouncing back.”
Von Miller admits he misses Broncos from afar
As host Big Cat points out, Miller seemingly won the breakup. He won his second Super Bowl title that same year he was traded. Meanwhile, the Broncos regressed horribly the following season under new head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Miller had just signed on with the Buffalo Bills that year, a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
But now, the script has flipped. Sean Payton's first year in Denver was nothing to write home about, but he was starting to mold the team in his image. In his second season with the team, the Broncos made it to the playoffs for the first time since Super Bowl 50 in 2015 behind a dominant defense and impressive play from rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Now, they enter this season as Super Bowl contenders, with an even scarier defense on paper and more weapons for Nix on the offense.
As for Miller, his tenure with the Bills didn't pan out. He suffered a torn ACL his first year, and he was unable to return to form. That, and he was suspended four games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy in 2024. In his three years with the Bills, he recorded 41 combined tackles (33 solo, eight assisted), 23 quarterback hits, and 14 sacks in 36 games (11 starts).
Now, Miller joined a Commanders team looking to continue their momentum in what was an incredible season last year when they made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, thanks in part to the play of quarterback Jayden Daniels. This is a team now with high expectations, and they believed adding Miller will help them get closer to their goal of winning the franchise's fourth Super Bowl title.
Miller is not in a bad situation with the Commanders, but he can't help but miss the team he spent the majority of his career with, especially now that they are one of the more stacked teams in the NFL.