Fatherly advice? Since it’s in Buffalo, Von Miller Sr. figured, he’ll probably just ride it out.
“Of course, he and I have had conversations about it,” the father of Broncos icon — and current Bills pass rushing ace — Von Miller told me Tuesday by phone from Texas. “I know how he feels. He grew up in Denver. And he became a man in Denver. Some of that will always be there.
The Millers are in the thick of Sunday’s AFC Wild Card game between the Broncos and Bills. These hearts are hitting a little harder than usual this week.
“It’s bittersweet,” Von Sr. said. “But when you find yourself in situations like that, you have to move on. And dedication must be where you work.
As John Lennon sang, life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans. Von Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP, always planned to be on the field for the Broncos’ biggest game in nine years.
What he didn’t see coming was that he would do it while wearing blue and white Bills. Or that he would be responsible for crushing the rookie – Bo Nix – who effectively replaced him as the face of his favorite franchise.
“The one thing I always tried to get him to focus on is that you have to know that it’s a business,” Von Sr. said. “And sometimes you have to put aside his feelings and move on. He had no control over this situation.
Broncos general manager George Paton ripped the band-aid off John Elway, trading Miller to the Rams in November 2021 for two draft picks. The Vonsters landed another ring a few months later in La La Land, then parlayed that into a six-year contract in Buffalo worth $20 million a year.
Young Von was crushed in that moment, wiping away tears as he left Dove Valley that morning. Looking back, it was a win-win deal. Eventually.
The Broncos took a lot longer to get there, of course, thanks to reasons no one here should ever have to experience again.
