Getty Von Miller #40 of the Buffalo Bills gives a thumbs up during Bills mini camp on June 14, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York.
The Buffalo Bills made one of the most high-profile free-agent signings this offseason when they lured Von Miller away from the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams — but a bombshell new report claims the deal nearly fell apart and Miller had another destination he preferred over Buffalo.
Miller had already spoken about the difficulty in picking between the Bills and Rams, and this week shared even more details about his decision-making process. The All-Pro linebacker revealed that there was another team higher on his list than the Bills, saying he would have even given a discount if they offered the right price.
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Miller Would’ve Given Hometown Discount to Dallas
The Bills were able to win Miller over with a six-year contract worth up to $120 million along with the chance to win a third Super Bowl. But the Dallas native said if his hometown team had come calling, he likely would’ve picked them.
The Cowboys offered outside linebacker Randy Gregory a five-year, $70 million contract this offseason, which he initially accepted before later backing out. As The Athletic’s Dan Pompei noted, Dallas then offered Miller the same exact offer.
Miller said if the Cowboys had been willing to go higher — even if it didn’t match the generous offer from the Bills — he would’ve taken it.
Von Miller was on his way to Buffalo to sign with the Bills, and he was having dark thoughts.
He was backing out, he told himself — until Bills leadership laid out their plan for him.
More: t.co/SJJUovpEpu
“I told them I was ready to come to the Cowboys,” Miller says. “I would have taken less to go to Dallas because it’s Dallas. But I wouldn’t take that much less.”
Miller added that he was torn over whether to join the Bills, even deciding on the flight to Buffalo to sign his contract that he was going to back out of the deal. Miller said he decided to tell Bills general manager Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott in person, but after meeting with the coaching staff and learning their vision for him he backed off that plan and stuck with the team.
Bills Stars Helped Win Over Miller
Buffalo didn’t leave Miller’s decision to chance. As the report noted, the team took an all-hands-on-deck approach to recruiting him and called on some famous players from past and present to help the cause.
“Quarterback Josh Allen FaceTimed Miller and made a pitch: ‘I’d love to play with you.’ Wide receiver Stefon Diggs offered a strong endorsement of the city and team,” Pompei reported. “All-time sack king Bruce Smith, who also had been represented by Branion, assured Miller the Bills would treat him like royalty.”
While Miller admitted he had mixed feelings about coming to Buffalo — something other free agents and players have expressed about the city’s frigid winters and lack of amenities when compared to bigger and more metropolitan cities — he now seems very committed to the team and city.
Speaking to Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News, the 33-year-old pass rusher said he has no intention of leaving or retiring before the end of his contract.
Von Miller explained what he told the Cowboys in free agency: t.co/TPFm18sltk
“This is a six-year deal, so I’m looking forward to playing the whole thing,” Miller said. “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.
“So I just take it one day at a time, and I’m just gonna take whatever God gives me. My intention is to play the whole thing out. I’m a real sicko when you get to know me. My mindset is different.”
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