Getty
Washington Commanders pass rusher Von Miller.
The Las Vegas Raiders are projected to have $87.8 million in salary cap space, which is second-most in the NFL. They’ve got a lot of money to work with, and that means they can be big spenders in free agency.
There are needs all over the roster, so the Raiders are going to target a lot of players. FOX Sports’ Greg Auman recently predicted that Washington Commanders free agent pass rusher Von Miller will sign with the Raiders.
Though Miller has bounced around the NFL for much of his career, he spent most of his time with the Denver Broncos. He’s still a beloved Broncos legend, so going to the rival Raiders would certainly be controversial.
Miller made it clear that he would prefer not to irk the Broncos fan base, making the Raiders an unlikely landing spot.
“For one, I’m still a taken man. I’m still in a relationship with the Washington Commanders. For two, if I’m going to go to the AFC West, it’s got to be the Denver Broncos,” Miller said on the “Free Range” podcast. “Like what? Me playing the Denver Broncos twice a year? I don’t think it’s nothing that I can do to really take away from my legacy that I’ve already done with the Denver Broncos, but that: Going to the Raiders. … That’s really the only thing that could make the Denver Broncos fanbase, Broncos Country, not love me no more.”
Raiders Do Have Some Pieces That Could Change Miller’s Mind
Miller would certainly run the risk of upsetting Broncos fans if he went to the Raiders, but stranger things have happened. Brett Favre played for the Minnesota Vikings, Khalil Mack plays for the Los Angeles Chargers and Richard Sherman played for the San Francisco 49ers.
Those players are still beloved by the fan bases of their original teams. Plus, if Miller joined the Raiders, he’d be running into some familiar faces. New head coach Klint Kubiak was on the Broncos’ coaching staff when Miller was playing there. Kubiak’s father, Gary Kubiak, was Miller’s head coach for two seasons.
Raiders general manager John Spytek was a scout in Denver when Miller was there. That’s not to mention senior vice president of football operations and strategy Mark Thewes, who was with the Broncos for Miller’s entire tenure with the franchise.
Raiders Don’t Need to Stress About Miller
Miller is one of the greatest pass rushers in NFL history and will be in the Hall of Fame one day. However, he’s going to be 37 when the season starts.
He’s proven he can still be a productive pass rusher, but he’s not the consistent impact player he was in the past. If the Raiders could sign him on a small contract, it would be a smart move.
He’s a solid veteran to have in the building. At the same time, it’s not a huge loss if he doesn’t want to come to Las Vegas. If they offer him the most money, it’s hard to imagine his loyalty to Denver will stop him from joining the Raiders.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
More Heavy on Raiders
Loading more stories