DENVER — Von Miller bid the Denver Broncos an emotional goodbye after learning he was being traded to the Los Angels Rams.
"It's always tough whenever you leave. I love all my fans. I love Broncos country. When I said Broncos for life, I meant that. It was an honor and a privilege to play here. John Elway picked me. It's life-changing. Ever since then, I've been able to play with Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, Tim Tebow. All of these guys, man. It's an honor and a privilege. It's still kind of hard to put into words. Still kind of raw," Miller said with his eyes watering and voice cracking as he exited UCHealth Training Center.
"It's tough. It's still hard. You can't really put it into words. Somebody told me once if you want to make God laugh, then make plans. Got to keep going and keep taking it one day at a time. Got a beautiful baby boy (Valor) and had a lot of beautiful years here. Have a lot of great memories here. Lot of great teammates. Lot of great coaches. Lot of great fans. I'll never forget all those people."
Arguably the best defensive player in franchise history, Miller saw his career in Denver come to an end Monday as the team agreed in principle on a trade to the Los Angeles Rams for second-round and third-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, according to sources.
Broncos general manager George Paton facilitated the trade by eating roughly $9 million of Miller's remaining $9.7 million salary.
Miller, 32, is the Broncos all-time sacks leader, the Super Bowl 50 MVP, and an almost-certain Hall of Famer and Broncos Ring of Famer.
Miller did not play Sunday, needing more time for his left ankle to heal.
This story was originally reported by Troy Renck on thedenverchannel.com.
