Von Miller: The cornerstone of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos star pass rusher Von Miller has signed a mega contract, and has cemented himself as the cornerstone of the Denver Broncos franchise…
How do you quantify the importance of a football player like Von Miller?
The richest non-QB contract in NFL history ought to do the trick…
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It seems like a lifetime ago that the Broncos drafted Miller with the 2nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. How did we get to this point? What all happened in the blur that was the last five years?
Statistically, Miller has been great, racking up 60 sacks in 72 games while forcing 17 fumbles. Miller was the NFL defensive rookie of the year after a rookie year where he notched 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, while also proving to be elite against the run.
He followed up his rookie season with a defensive MVP caliber year, showing out with 18.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, a pick-six, and a number of other huge plays as the Broncos came up just short in the playoffs that year (we won’t mention exactly how).
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Then came the tumultuous offseason of 2013, where Miller was suspended for the first six games of the season by the NFL for failing to comply with the anti-drug policy. Von came back from that suspension plump, out of shape, and not himself. The Broncos were still enjoying wild success on the offensive side of the ball, so Miller’s short-comings weren’t over-publicized.
The awful 2013 season (for Miller) was capped off with an ACL injury against the Houston Texans. The rehab process was undoubtedly grueling, but Miller put in the work and got himself clean off the field. The Broncos signed his idol, Cowboys star pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, in the Spring of 2014. That move along with a number of others motivated Miller and he showed up at training camp faster, leaner, quicker, and more motivated than ever to be his best.
The 2015 season was no different. There was just a renewed focus to Von Miller that we hadn’t seen in his early years. In just his fifth NFL season, it was clear to see how much of an impact DeMarcus Ware had on him, and what kind of player Von was capable of being.
After a regular season where Von had 11 sacks and three forced fumbles on the league’s best defense, he went into another realm when the playoffs began.
Amid questions about his prior playoff performance, Von Miller put on an absolute show, coming up with two of the best games any of us has ever seen him play against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl.
Miller’s signature plays in each game will forever be remembered by Broncos fans, and certainly Tom Brady and Cam Newton.
It was abundantly clear that the Broncos were going to have to pay Von Miller the type of money that they had escaped paying a number of other players on this defense. Miller’s career has come full circle and his value will never be higher. He’s the Super Bowl MVP who got himself out of the NFL’s drug program and has developed into an awesome leader that his teammates love and respect.
In short, Von Miller has become the most integral piece of this Denver Broncos franchise. The Broncos called on John Elway to make this team a title contender again. His first draft pick ever is now the highest paid defensive player ever, and not by the same merit as guys like Olivier Vernon.
Von Miller actually deserves this contract. He deserves the guaranteed money because he’s the cornerstone piece of an NFL franchise. Not only that, he’s the cornerstone piece of the best defense arguably ever, and one of the rarest pass rushing talents we’ve seen as NFL observers and fans.
You don’t have to second guess that, either.
For John Elway, this move was always going to have to happen. The franchise tag happened because you have to negotiate. The negotiations were up and down because that’s how they go. In the end, both Elway and Miller knew how this was going to end.