Commanders’ Von Miller Quietly Announces New Career Plans After Keeping it Real on Jayden Daniels

The 2024 Commanders were a brilliant portrayal of resilience. Of course, there were some potholes, but none compared to their dismissal 4-13 outing in 2023. This offseason, their priority was to assemble a Super Bowl-caliber team, which meant addressing those potholes. One of the largest ones was their pass rush; thus, they brought in the Hall of Fame-caliber linebacker, Von Miller. A move that may have subsided behind Terry McLaurin’s contract saga, but sent the required message to their opponents. Of course, he isn’t thinking of retirement in his first year in Washington, but his post-retirement plans appear crystal clear, which he quietly swept under a bigger take. 

You know, this offseason, Miller wasn’t the only defensive superstar to grab headlines. A bigger and more extended talk of the town was Micah Parsons’ trade saga. After a long dispute with the Cowboys over deserved pay, the elite pass rusher ultimately landed in the Green Bay Packers for a whopping $47 million per year contract. While fans were of course glued to their screen for every minute update on the trade, Miller was also actively following the news. Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, he finally broke his silence. 

When asked about the Parsons deal to Green Bay, Miller revealed why he had been keeping up with every update. “I want to be a GM when I’m done working in the front office, too. So, I kind of been analyzing that situation for a while,” he told Rich Eisen, which of course wasn’t a surprise since he has been talking about it since his days with the Denver Broncos. What surprised Eisen more was Miller calling the trade a “win-win for both sides.” But the latter already had the perfect response to it, showing his managerial skills. 

“I’m not saying that I would have made that decision. I’m just analyzing it,” he said. Right there, Eisen burst into laughter. “If it were me, I would have paid Micah way a long time ago. It would have been way, way cheaper when it probably would have been able to, you know, to keep him, CeeDee Lamb, and Dak Prescott.” That’s not a legendary linebacker talking, that’s a General Manager talking. 

Becoming a GM isn’t something Miller is randomly throwing in the air. It’s something he’s dedicated to. He attended the 2023 NFL Combine just to pick the brains of front office personnel (including one former GM) to understand the requirements of the job. He spent two days in Indianapolis, taking notes throughout and comprehending everything from selecting draft players to salary cap negotiations. “You gotta build relationships,” he said afterwards. When he steps into the role, he’ll definitely learn more. But he does possess some of the core skills, like recognizing talent. 

It’s not been long since Miller came to Washington, and he already knows Jayden Daniels is no ordinary player. He made a startling comparison between the second-year QB and the legendary Kobe Bryant during his interview with Eisen. “He’s angry out there, man. He just attacks, attacks, attacks,” he said about the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. “He has this shade of Kobe in him. It’s good to be around him, man, he’s a true competitor.” The veteran already knows Daniels is a young Bryant fan, since he uses many of Bryant’s practice habits like a true competitor. 

Jayden Daniels is a true Kobe Bryant fan

The best part? Daniels is a big Kobe Bryant fan. Earlier in January, in the midst of breaking records with each playoff victory, he also made headlines for his style, which his fans became obsessed with. After destroying the Detroit Lions in the divisional round, the 24-year-old was spotted in custom-made Nike Jobe 6 cleats in the shades of Commaders, of course. When asked about those supercool cleats, Daniels didn’t hold back. 

“I just like the cleats; the cleats are fire,” he revealed. “Kobe is my favorite athlete of all time… Just growing up, you just fall in love with his game, and who he is, and as I got older, you kind of fall in love with his mindset and everything like that, and just how he approached the game.” Daniels has been a true basketball lover—he even wanted to pursue it further before choosing football. 

This isn’t a big surprise since the guy grew up in Southern California with the Lakers as his favorite team. When he revealed this in the playoffs, everyone was wondering how a rookie was destroying some of the toughest teams in the league; they all got the answer. His skills, combined with Bryant’s Mamba mentality, might be enough to rule the NFL. So he grew up drawing inspiration from the NBA legend, and now that he can implement those in his game, he is sure making history.