Von Miller Details his Desire to Sign with Cowboys Before Inking Mega-Deal with Bills
When Von Miller used his social media accounts to release a video that suggested a potential recoupling with the Denver Broncos, fans were understandably excited. Hindsight is, of course, the perfect science, and looking back to mid-March, perhaps Miller used his crystal ball to predict the explosive trade that ensued for quarterback Russell Wilson.
The reality is, Miller is now suiting up with the Buffalo Bills and Wilson did indeed incredibly land in the Mile High City. Broncos GM George Paton was the man who ultimately pulled the trigger on Miller’s trade from the Broncos to the Los Angeles Rams last season, so if anyone had the inside line, it’s bound to be him.
By tapping out on what ended up being a mega-money move to bring Miller back, Paton might have left many Broncos fans disappointed. That being said, the front-office guru is a man of purpose as he constructs the Denver roster in his own vision.
When it came to Miller, money was a major factor for all sides who postured at the negotiating table, as it always is. Paton’s audacious swoop for Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Randy Gregory shocked many, but it also showed that the GM isn't afraid to take calculated gambles and ruffle some feathers.
Gregory's 11th-hour 180 move on contract terms also spectacularly opened the door for Miller to put the famous Star on the side of his helmet. His opportunity to move back closer to his childhood roots in DeSoto, Texas, and to replace Gregory on the team he grew up rooting for, was a classic example of the free agency domino effect.
It also greatly appealed to the former Super Bowl MVP, but unfortunately for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, it all boiled down to Miller’s financial demands.
“I told them I was ready to come to the Cowboys,” Miller told Dan Pompei of The Athletic. “I would have taken less to go to Dallas because it’s Dallas. But I wouldn’t take that much less.”
Similarly, Miller’s deep affection for his adopted home state of Colorado might well have provided a perfect window of opportunity for Paton to thrash out some kind of hometown discount. No call was forthcoming from the area code 303 in the end, and with Gregory moving to Denver; it was Miller who quickly turned to the Bills for a new contract.
Gregory’s nagging injury concerns make it fairly easy to tender a statistical comparison of each player's worth once the season gets rolling. But if either Gregory or Miller fails to produce, the busted throw of the dice tends to be placed back at the feet of the misguided GM who tossed them.
Miller’s many achievements playing in the Orange and Blue will one day inevitably land him a spot in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame, but sadly for many diehard fans, the chances of him returning to Denver to finish out his career are now remote. After the Bills hoped to draft Miller in 2011 and coming close to landing him via trade before the Rams swooped in last fall, maybe it was written in the stars for him to eventually wind up in upstate New York.
“This place just chose me,” Von told Pompei. “Buffalo just chose me. And it’s been trying to choose me all these years.”
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL.
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
