Von Miller starred for the Denver Broncos from 2011 through the beginning of the 2021 season. The dynamic pass rusher was an eight-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro, and defensive rookie of the year in blue and orange. More importantly, he was the MVP of Super Bowl 50 as the Broncos won their first NFL title since John Elway’s retirement.
That partnership ended in November when Denver, staring down a rebuild, traded away the 32-year old linebacker in the final year of his contract. The move worked out for both sides. The Broncos received the Los Angeles Rams’ second- and third-round draft picks in 2022. The Rams received a difference-making pass rusher — Miller had nine sacks in his final eight games — en route to a victory in Super Bowl 56.
Miller’s set to be a high profile free agent despite his veteran status. It looks like he may have a destination in mind.
I kinda want that old thing back.. 5280
— Von Miller (@VonMiller) March 7, 2022
Miller’s slightly vague tweet isn’t too difficult to parse. Getting “that old thing back?” That sounds a lot like a return to his NFL roots. 5,280? That’s the elevation in feet of Denver, home of Mile High Stadium where he terrorized opposing quarterbacks for more than a decade.
The Broncos have the tools to bring their star back into the fold. Denver has the sixth-most salary cap space of any team in the league with more than $39 million in spending room, per Over the Cap. While a chunk of that will be devoted to finding a franchise quarterback (again), there’s room to fit a pricy, short-term deal for a player who proved he’s got plenty in the tank last year.
Would Miller take a hometown discount to return to Colorado? Can he be as destructive as an edge rusher as part of a defense without Aaron Donald in the middle of the field? Can general manager George Paton bring in Miller and Aaron Rodgers in the same offseason to truly relive the Broncos’ glory days of the mid-2010s?
Those are all questions we’re asking thanks to seven words and four numbers tweeted into the ether by a future Hall of Famer. Miller could have just been wistful about a pizza place he misses in downtown Denver. That’s not going to stop Broncos fans from planning his return.
