Von Miller Rams Parting Shot: 'Something Extremely Special in Buffalo'

The pass rusher left the Rams and a Super Bowl to sign a six-year deal with the Bills.

Author:
Connor Zimmerlee
Publish date:
Mar 18, 2022 2:21 PM EDT

Von Miller leaving Los Angeles for the Buffalo Bills was one of the early shockers of NFL free agency. While there was always a chance that Miller would not be returning to the Rams, the expected frontrunners to sign the dynamic outside linebacker were the Denver Broncos or Dallas Cowboys.

Von Miller

Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey

Feb 16, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Von Miller holds the Vince Lombardi trophy during the Super Bowl LVI championship rally at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Von Miller celebrates at the Rams Super Bowl parade.

However, the Bills offered Miller a six-year, $120 million deal that includes an average annual value of $17.5 million per year and $51 million in guarantees. Now, Miller joins a loaded Bills team that was 13 seconds from beating the Kansas City Chiefs and advancing to the AFC Championship.

The decision to leave the Rams was not an easy one for Miller, but he sees something special brewing with the Bills and felt they were the best team to sign with in free agency.

"I saw what makes Aaron Donald, and it was hard to walk away from that,” Miller said.

“The only way you can walk away from that is to walk into something special. And what they’re doing here is extremely special. [The Bills are] gonna win a Super Bowl with or without me. They’ve built an amazing team.”

While the star of the show for the Bills is superstar quarterback Josh Allen and electric wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the Bills defense was an underrated unit in 2021. Now, by adding Miller, Buffalo could advance to the next level of Super Bowl contenders. Miller will join a defense loaded with talent, from linebacker Matt Milano to defensive backs Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.