“Let Me Finish What I Started” — Von Miller Begs for One Last Ride in Denver, Hoping to Close His Career with the Broncos.
Denver Broncos icon Von Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP and one of the most dominant pass rushers in NFL history, is making headlines once again — this time for a possible return to the place where his legendary career began.
Now a free agent after being released by the Buffalo Bills in March 2025, Miller, 36, is openly yearning for a Mile High reunion. Speaking candidly on The Pivot Podcast
“Denver’s where I grew up as a man, got married, had my first kid,” Miller said. “I wish it ended differently, but I’d love to come back, support Nix, and help this team win another Super Bowl ring.”
Broncos Country heard him loud and clear. Social media lit up with fans begging the front office to make it happen: “Give Von the jersey back. Let him go out like a legend.”
From 2011 to 2021, Miller recorded 110.5 sacks in 142 games — the most in franchise history, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. His eight Pro Bowl appearances and three first-team All-Pro selections anchored the iconic “No Fly Zone” defense. After a 2021 trade to the Rams and a stint with Buffalo, Miller notched 8 sacks in 2024 — proof he’s still dangerous.
With Denver boasting the NFL’s top sack total last season and young talents like Nik Bonitto and rookie Sai’vion Jones on the rise, Miller’s experience and leadership could be invaluable. According to Spotrac, the Broncos have $18 million in cap space, making the idea logistically feasible.
Coach Sean Payton acknowledged the noise: “Von’s a Bronco legend. His heart’s here. But we’re focused on our current roster.” Still, GM George Paton hasn’t ruled out more veteran help.
With Bo Nix steering a revitalized offense and the defense poised for dominance, Miller’s emotional pitch couldn’t have come at a better time.
The only question now: Will Denver give its greatest defender one final shot at glory in orange and blue?
Tricky situation developing for Ben Johnson and the Bears defense
An honest appraisal of the situation at Bears slot cornerback came from Ben Johnson following Sunday's win when asked about C.J. Gardner-Johnson's play.
Or was it an extremely lightly veiled message about their secondary personnel? Or both?
Gardner-Johnson produced two more sacks and the game-changing forced fumble against the Giants while Kyler Gordon missed his third game on injured reserve. He is eligible to come off of IR after four games, if his injured groin has healed.
“I haven't been around Kyler a whole lot yet," Johnson said. "He's been dinged up, so I can't speak to that."
Ouch. It couldn't have been a good thing to hear for Gordon, who got a contract extension at $13 million a year prior to this season.
"But, listen, I love what C.J. brings to the table right now. You feel him out there," Ben Johnson said. "He's a football player. He loves to be competing. He finds himself around the ball quite a bit. I think we all appreciate that.”
Johnson's knack for big plays haven't quite been equaled in pass coverage. Turnovers are a great deodorizer. Three sacks don't hurt. Gardner-Johnson's passer rating against when targeted isn't impressive at 109.5 in the two games but Gordon's was a disastrous 147.1.
Then again, you're dealing with such a small sample size, but there's the problem.
Ben Johnson really hasn't been around Gordon much. He has played fewer snaps on defense this year (81) than Gardner-Johnson (112), and Gardner-Johnson started the year in Houston, then was on Baltimore's practice squad.
A coach can only go by what they're seeing on the field. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has been around Gardner-Johnson a lot more than he has been able to familiarize himself with the play of Gordon.
What happens when Gordon returns?
They'd like to know he truly is healthy before this happens as he was out four games to start the season.
Picking up sacks on slot blitzes shouldn't be marginalized. Nor is that a slot cornerback's primary function. Getting the job done in coverage is the goal, and the analytics say neither did that really well this year. It isn't an easy job when Allen likes to blitz so much, but what the Bears do know about both players is they're versatile.
Gardner-Johnson's best years might have been with the Eagles playing safety rather than playing slot cornerback for Johnson in New Orleans. He has played outside cornerback a little. Gordon, in 2022 as a rookie and even as recently as 2023, played some on the outside.
Gordon was probably better on the outside than Gardner-Johnson based on the amount of reps both took outside, but it's difficult to determine.
If the Bears put Gordon outside in place of Nahshon Wright, it could strengthen the coverage. In Wright's defense, this has been his first real opportunity to play longer term as a starter. In his first four seasons, he got in for exactly half as many total plays (269) on defense as he has had in this season alone (538).
Wright hasn't been terrible, although Pro Football Focus doesn't think much of his play because they grade him 90th of 109 NFL cornerbacks. He's had a few really poor games mixed in with average play, but his passer rating against is a solid 87.2 according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference. PFF puts it at a worse level of 96.1, but still not a problem.
Either way, the Bears can't be elated with his play. Otherwise, they wouldn't have displayed trade interest in New Orleans' Alontae Taylor, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported. Nor would they have brought Asante Samuel Jr. in for a look before he signed with Pittsburgh.
Whether they would be better with Gordon moving out to right cornerback remains to be seen. When he was playing outside in the past, it was usually on the defense's left side before they had Tyrique Stevenson.
It's a mix they'll need to get a better feel for when Gordon returns. It is going to happen eventually, possibly as soon as after the Vikings game, when they're preparing to face Aaron Rodgers.
Ultimately, the deciding factor for who plays slot cornerback could be the Bears pass rush and not their secondary. With three sacks in two weeks, they might be better off keeping Gardner-Johnson in the slot and blitzing because Montez Sweat can use the help. The other pass rushers aren't providing much.
