Von Miller was asked to introduce himself to his new team Tuesday. There were plenty of ways he could have described himself to the Buffalo Bills.
Two-time Super Bowl winner. Super Bowl MVP. Defensive Rookie of the Year. In other settings, he describes himself as a chicken farmer, a DJ, a comedian.
But instead, he kept it simple.
“I stood up and told them, ‘I'm Von Miller from Texas A&M, and I play defense,’ ” he said.
Miller, who signed with the Bills in March, plans on giving his new teammates plenty of time to get to know him. Though his six-year, $120 million contract is structured in such a way that the guaranteed money comes in the first three years, Miller says he personally doesn’t look at it in shorter terms.
“This is a six-year deal, so I'm looking forward to playing the whole thing,” Miller said Wednesday, during the start of the Bills’ offseason program. “I'm trying to play the whole thing out. Tom Brady's done it, Bruce Smith has done it – all the guys that I look up to when it comes to longevity in careers. …
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“My intention is to play the whole thing out. I'm a real sicko when you get to know me. My mindset is different.”
Miller says he doesn’t feel like he’s 33. He doesn’t think he plays like he’s 33. The dominant pass rusher thinks he still has plenty to give. This week, he began that process with Buffalo, his first offseason with a new team since he entered the league in 2011 with the Broncos. It’s going well so far.
“Man, I love these guys,” Miller said. “I knew about the team, I knew about the players here, but the collection of guys, the collection of personalities is nothing like I’ve ever been on.”
He had spoken to some of them already, with quarterback Josh Allen FaceTiming him from the golf course to recruit him.
Miller, who has played with Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford and has gotten to know quarterbacks all around the league, sees a common thread among the great ones.
“They all have this aura about them, like no matter how high it gets, no matter how low it gets, no matter if it’s OTAs or no matter if it’s the day before the Super Bowl,” Miller said. “And Josh Allen has this aura about him for sure.”
Miller has admired Allen’s play for a long time, even reaching out on Instagram to tell him so. The feeling was mutual.
“I worked my tail off to try to get him here, you know?” Allen quipped Wednesday. “I'm thankful that he's here. He's been a heck of a player in this league for a long time and shows no signs of slowing down.”
But despite all of Allen’s exhaustive work, it was wide receiver Stefon Diggs who sealed it. When Diggs relayed to Miller all that he had found in Buffalo, Miller knew it was sincere.
“I took that to heart, and that really was the biggest reason why I came here,” Miller said. “Having Stefon Diggs, the international superstar, here, and he said that ‘It’s good, man. Von, you’re gonna be good here,’ I took that to heart. … I’ve been here for two days, and he didn’t lie to me for sure.”
In showing up to Orchard Park for the start of voluntary workouts, Miller is diving in to learning the rest of his team. Coach Sean McDermott thinks Miller will ramp up to a deeper level of leadership once he covers some basics: where to park, what gear to wear, where to go.
“He's here, he's participating. He’s working hard,” McDermott said. “And then he's just kind of trying to get himself acquainted with his new teammates, the new surroundings, where the weight room is. It's kind of like the first day of school for a guy who hasn't been in our building.”
Miller agrees. And he was ready for that, thank to his mom, Gloria.
“My mom said it would do that,” he said. “My mom said you just got to go there, you've got to be there.”
Miller is still candid about having a hard time deciding to leave the Los Angeles Rams. In a news conference climate where athletes have mastered saying nothing, Miller strays from canned answers. He’s honest, even when others would retreat to platitudes and cliches, and he’s open when his feelings aren’t linear.
When he explains it, grappling with different waves of emotions, it’s not dismissive of the destination, but a testament to everyone that pulled him cross-country to Buffalo.
He was drawn to people. To Allen, to Diggs, to Brandon Beane, to Leslie Frazier. Surely, a massive contract didn’t hurt. There was the chance to win a third Super Bowl with a third team, which would be a first in the league.
Even so, even listing all the reasons, he had to arrive and immerse himself to validate his own decision.
“I got here, and I sat down with all the guys, man, I just felt at peace,” he said. “I felt like this was the place. You know, Bills Mafia went crazy. I'm like, 'Bro, these are the type of fans I want to play for.’ "
It’s not the first time Miller has adjusted against his own expectations. A few years ago in Denver, he hit a point where he thought he was through with mentoring younger teammates.
“I said when Shaq (Barrett) and Shane Ray left the Broncos, ‘I don't have any more kids. I'm not going to coach anybody up,’ " Miller said. “But the longer you play, that's just how it develops. The longer you play, you gotta pay that information forward, and that's just my way of giving back to a game that has given so much to me. You gotta pay the knowledge forward.”
Now, Miller isn’t just available for advice on the off chance younger guys ask for it.
“I'm an open book,” Miller said, “And I'm going to force some of my chapters on them.”
Miller wants to see players such as Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham and A.J. Epenesa benefit from his experience. He believes he has to earn the trust of his teammates first, even if they’ve seen his results. He’s ready to play however coaches need him, and he wore a shirt that had a “team over me” message as he spoke on Wednesday. But that’s not to be confused with a passive approach.
Miller wants to affect the game.
“I'm all for rotation and all that stuff, but when it's crunch time, I have to be in the game,” Miller said. “I'm sure that coaches and everybody wouldn't fight me on that. When it's crunch time, I'm going to be out there in the game. Any two-minute drive or anything like that, I have to be out there. I'm all good for a rotation, but I like playing my fair number of snaps. I like being in the game. When I come out the game, I don't like staying out.”
When he does sit, perhaps there is some small peace for Miller in remembering what he sees in this roster.
“This is one of the most talented teams I’ve ever been on,” Miller said.
It's the latest in a growing list of reminders why he made a decision that surprised even him.
“Being here for the start of OTAs, it's definitely put me at peace,” Miller said. “I'm excited to go. I'm ready to go win a Super Bowl for the Buffalo Bills.”
