Although Von Miller has attended three Super Bowls and won two of them (one with the Denver Broncos and one with the Los Angeles Rams), Buffalo Bills fans of all ages still remember that it just wasn't in the cards for them during his time in Orchard Park.
While he was the MVP of Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, this achievement demonstrates that, with all his talents and leadership, one day we could see him in the NFL Hall of Fame. Let's take a look at how this eight-time Pro Bowler made his way on three different teams in the NFL and built a 13-year empire while making a name for himself.
Bryan DeArdo from CBS Sports recently listed an “NFL’s All-Quarter Century Defensive Team” and Miller appeared on this list as a reserve linebacker along with players like Khalil Mack, Luke Kuechly, Bobby Wagner, and Brian Urlacher. Miller getting this kind of honor shows that it's hard to blame the Bills for taking a big swing when they signed Miller.
He was supposed to be the game-changer the Bills were lacking. Instead, the Bills just got hit with more bad luck.
Von Miller's path to Buffalo was legendary, but disappointing with Bills
Denver Broncos (2011-2021)
Miller was drafted second overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He won two out of his three Super Bowl appearances as a linebacker. His career began in the Mile High City very fast, registering 11.5 sacks in his rookie year.
That year also saw him win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and he followed up his sophomore season with a career-high 18.5 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. Miller led the Broncos to a 24-10 win over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, hence earning him his first Super Bowl trophy and game MVP award.
Los Angeles Rams (2021)
Miller's next step in his legendary career occurred when he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season, where he joined the team and head coach Sean McVay. In what would be his only season in LA, he played in just eight of 17 regular-season games.
He managed to record 31 tackles, five sacks, and 12 tackles for loss. More importantly, though, he was part of a defense that wreaked havoc on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in Super Bowl 56. Sack after sack took a bit of wear and tear on Burrow, and Miller won his second Lombardi Trophy.
Buffalo Bills (2022-2024)
After playing a significant role in helping the Denver Broncos and then the Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowls, Miller sought to take his talents to help another team win a Lombardi Trophy. There was one franchise that sounded enticing and it was the Buffalo Bills.
Why were the Bills enticing you may ask? Well, they are a franchise that still tarnishes its reputation for not winning four straight Super Bowls. The team endured a 17-year playoff drought before a new hero emerged for the Bills, in the form of starting quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bills were coming off a season in which they won their second straight AFC East championship, but for the second straight season, lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the 13-second AFC divisional playoff game. Miller was available in free agency, and the Bills closed the deal, signing him to a 6-year, $120 million contract.
The thought was that Miller could help a franchise finally win their first Super Bowl after doing it in his two previous stops in LA and Denver. Fortunately, they got close, but close only counts in horseshoes, as the cliche goes.
Miller started out his career as a Buffalo Bill, very hot, recording eight sacks in his first eight games. But sadly, this is where his magic never returned as he tore his ACL in the 2022 Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions.
He would miss the rest of the year but returned for the 2023 season. Unfortunately for the team, they would have their season eliminated again in the divisional round of the playoffs, but this time by Burrow and the Bengals.
The 2023 season was the year that hopefully Miller would return to form and help the Bills finally make it back and try to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. However, throughout the whole year, something wasn't right, and it appeared that the ACL still had not healed properly, thereby hindering Miller's production. The Bills would once again fall for the third time to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, and once again, no Super Bowl.
2024 was another year of hoping and wishing that Miller would return to 100% health and that the Bills would finally make it past the divisional round of the playoffs and reach the Super Bowl to try to win their first one again.
He would play in 13 of 17 regular season games and record six sacks, but was limited to a rotational player in defensive coordinator Bobby Babich's defense. The good news is that the Bills finally won the divisional round of the playoffs, defeating Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
They won 27-25, but were one Mark Andrews drop away from possibly losing the game in overtime. Sadly, their quest to finally make it to the big game ended in the AFC championship game once again losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In a salary cap-saving move, the Bills waived Miller, ending his short and disappointing time as a member of the Buffalo Bills. It shows that this league is a business and how, despite the NFL witnessing this fantastic player help his other teams win Super Bowls, an unfortunate injury prevented him from regaining his eight sacks in eight games in 2022, as a Buffalo Bill.