It was 10 years ago that the Buffalo Bills made a big splash in free agency when they signed Mario Williams to a $100 million contract. A decade later the Bills once again sign one of the top defensive ends available by agreeing to a six-year deal with former Los Angeles Rams pass rusher Von Miller.
According to Aaron Wilson with Pro Football Network, the deal is worth a max value of $120 million with $52 million in total guarantees and pays out $53 million over the first three years.
Miller spent most of his career with the Denver Broncos after they drafted him second overall in 2011. He would remain for 10 years before being traded during the season last year to the Los Angeles Rams.
Von Miller would play a major role in the Rams’ playoff success with four sacks during the playoffs and helped them win the Super Bowl over the Cincinnati Bengals. He currently leads the NFL among active players in sacks with 115.5, a total he can improve on now in Western New York.
Buffalo Bills get that top tier edge rusher to transform their defense
The Buffalo Bills had one of the top defenses in the NFL but one area they really struggled with was getting consistent pressure on the quarterback. This has been an issue for a few years now and the Bills have drafted a number of players at the position but were still lacking that one player that offenses always had to account for.
That is exactly what Von Miller can be for this defense now and help take some pressure off the younger players like Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham, and even Ed Oliver on the interior. It is not surprising that the past two Super Bowl Champions, the Rams last year, and the Bucs the year prior were able to get consistent pressure on the quarterback.
The Buffalo Bills certainly had to pay a premium price to achieve this but now have the most talented pass rusher since they added Mario Williams 10 years ago.