feature-image

Imago

feature-image

Imago

Von Miller is a free agent again, and at 37, he has made it clear he still wants to play in 2026. But before he maps his journey ahead, Miller is looking back at how he got to where he is. Last offseason, he had two contracts on the table, and he picked the Washington Commanders. Now, one season later, that decision reads a lot different.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

“I only got two offers last year. I have one contract offer from the Washington Commanders,” Von Miller told Steve Smith and James Palmer on 89 on YouTube. “That’s when I went and played. And I had one offer from the Seattle Seahawks. And obviously, I picked the wrong team on that one. It would have been three teams, three different teams with three Super Bowls. But that’s just how it’s supposed to be.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Miller has worn a lot of jerseys since the Denver Broncos took him second overall in 2011. After playing about ten seasons with the Broncos, he had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, three years in Buffalo after that, and then Washington came calling in 2025.

He signed a one-year, $6.1 million deal with the Commanders in July 2025. The season itself was rough for the team. Washington finished 5-12, third in the NFC East and 14th in the conference. Miller, though, held up his end. He led the team in sacks with nine, despite playing just 37 percent of the defensive snaps.

ADVERTISEMENT

But here’s the part that stings. The other offer on the table that offseason came from the NFC rival Seattle Seahawks, which went on to beat the New England Patriots and win the Super Bowl.

Miller knew exactly what he was passing up, but he had his reasons for choosing Washington instead, pointing to Jayden Daniels.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I understood how good the Seattle Seahawks were,” Miller added. “For me with the Washington Commanders, I just felt like Jayden Daniels was poised for another great season. His rookie season went all the way to the NFC Championship, and last year, he got hit with injuries, not just the quarterback position, but all over the place. And those are some of the things that you just can’t calculate on teams.”

Had things gone differently, Miller could have been chasing his third Super Bowl ring with a third different franchise. Instead of dwelling on his decision from last offseason, he is now looking ahead and reportedly making calls to one of his former teams.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I lobbied, I do lobby, I lobbied publicly, privately, so I lobbied,” Miller said in May, per ESPN’s Jeff Legwold, making his case to return to Denver under Sean Payton. Nothing’s official yet.

But this time around, the Super Bowl MVP doesn’t have much room left for another wrong turn.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Ishani Jayara

473 Articles

Ishani Jayara is an NFL Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the league with a focus on team narratives, season arcs, and the evolving dynamics that shape professional football. Introduced to the sport through friends, what began as casual interest steadily grew into a deep engagement with the game, guiding her toward football journalism. A longtime San Francisco 49ers supporter, she brings an informed fan’s perspective while maintaining editorial balance in her reporting. Her path into sports media has been shaped by experience in fast-paced digital environments, where she learned to navigate breaking news cycles, long-form storytelling, and the demands of consistent publishing. Alongside this, her professional background in quality-focused roles sharpened her attention to detail, structure, and clarity, qualities that now define her editorial approach. At EssentiallySports, Ishani concentrates on unpacking key NFL moments, tracking shifting team identities, and connecting on-field performances with the broader narratives surrounding the league.

Know more

ADVERTISEMENT