Legendary Broncos players we hated to see end their careers somewhere else
The Denver Broncos have been blessed with many legendary football players who are in the team's Ring of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, or both. But the NFL is a business at the end of the day and not every great player was able to stay in the Mile High City for the duration of their career.
In a perfect world, teams would be able to hold onto their legendary players for their entire career. Fans wouldn't have to say goodbye to their favorites or have a closet full of jerseys of players that no longer play for the team.
The Broncos have been fortunate to have many of their greats play their entire careers in Denver. John Elway, Rod Smith, Terrell Davis, Randy Gradishar, Louis Wright, Karl Mecklenburg and Simon Fletcher all played for the Broncos and the Broncos only.
But there were other players who we had to watch wear another jersey for at least one season. We recently took a look at players who played for the Broncos and looked weird wearing orange and blue. Here, we will look at Broncos who just don't look right playing anywhere else.
This list will not include Hall-of-Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. Although seeing him play for the Baltimore Ravens (and win a Super Bowl while doing so) didn't sit right, he did come back to Denver and finish up there.
For the four players on this list, they will always be Broncos but they finished their careers in another place and playing in front of another fanbase.
Legendary Broncos players we hated to see end their careers somewhere else: Von Miller
Broncos fans desperately wanted to see Von Miller, the team's all-time sacks leader, finish his career in Denver. Von wanted that too.
But in 2021, as the team continued to sink further and further into the abyss, general manager George Paton knew he was going to have to make a big move. So that season, just ahead of the league's trading deadline, he traded him to the Los Angeles Rams.
In return, the Broncos received second and third-round picks in the 2022 draft. Miller was sent to a contender and it paid off for the Rams as they won the Super Bowl that year. The following offseason, Miller took a massive, six-year, $120 million deal from the Buffalo Bills, where he still currently plays.
During a game against the Detroit Lions last Thanksgiving, Miller suffered a knee injury that ended up being a torn ACL. He missed the rest of the season and will now enter year 13 in the league at 34 years old.
Since Miller is still playing, he could always return in the same way that Sharpe did to Denver, but that is unlikely under anything more than a one-day contract before he retires.
But Miller will always be a Bronco. And if you need proof of that, watch this. You can't help but smile.