The Denver Broncos may not have wanted to sign former franchise cornerstone and Super Bowl champion Von Miller this offseason, but they will almost certainly face him during the 2025 campaign.
Following a three-year stint with the Buffalo Bills, Miller is signing with the Washington Commanders.
“DC… What’s good?” Miller posted on X on July 16.
“Former #Broncos great has a new home with a fun, contending team,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel posted on X on July 16
Miller has several ties to the Commanders.
“Former Broncos Super Bowl 50 hero Von Miller is signing with Washington Commanders, per multiple reports,” 9News’ Mike Klis posted on X on July 16. “Washington senior defensive assistant John Pagano was Von’s OLB coach for 1 1/2 seasons in Denver. Miller ranks 25th all-time with 129.5 sacks. 10 more ties him with Jason Taylor for 11th.”
Gabriel noted that the Broncos will visit Miller and the Commanders on “Sunday Night Football in Week 13, following Denver’s bye week. It will mark the 17th meeting between the interconference rivals, with the series at an 8-8 tie entering the contest.
Von Miller Candid About Broncos Reunion
Miller, 36, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Broncos. He spent 10-plus seasons with the Broncos, who traded him to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season, where Miller went on to win his second Super Bowl.
In the back stretch of his career, Miller also acknowledged that the fit was not there with the Broncos this offseason.
Miller cited the Broncos’ “full” room of pass rushers.
“I haven’t heard anything. But it really, if you look at it this year, it really doesn’t make sense. They got two really, really good rushers that are best in league. Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto are incredible rushers. And the guys underneath them, they come in, they produce sacks too. And they play special teams. I’m not playing special teams. That’s something I think at 36 years old, I can say that I probably wouldn’t be doing that,” Miller told reporters in May.
“Yeah. It’s just this year, probably not. But the year after that, next year, we’ll see what happens.”
The Broncos led the NFL with a franchise-record 63 sacks during the 2024 regular season. Miller had 6.0 sacks and saw the second-lowest snap share of his career, per Pro Football Reference.
Von Miller Dons Former Teammate’s Jersey Number
Miller did potentially provide one more subtle nod to his Broncos ties in his announcement on social media. Miller first wore No. 58 when he entered the league with the Broncos and switched to No. 40 with the Rams, keeping the latter with the Bills.
With his next chapter, Miller has chosen a fitting new set of digits: 24.
“Von going [with] former teammate Champ [Bailey]’s number in Washington per his Instagram post,” Klis noted in another post.
Bailey wore the No. 24 throughout his entire NFL career, including for three seasons as Miller’s teammate on the Broncos. Now a Hall of Famer, Bailey retired from the league in 2014, nearly two calendar years before Miller and the Broncos won the Super Bowl.
The Broncos acquired Bailey in a blockbuster trade with the Commanders organization in 2004.
He spent 10 seasons in Denver and, like Miller, remains a beloved figure in Broncos franchise history.
