Getty Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos walks off the field after a 30-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on October 17, 2019 in Denver, Colorado.
Von Miller is well aware of the rumors that have been circulating this offseason about his Denver Broncos and reigning NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but the Broncos’ star pass rusher isn’t allowing himself to get “too emotionally attached” to the possibility.
Miller, a seven-time All-Pro and 10-year NFL veteran, was asked about the Broncos-Rodgers trade rumors on Saturday while speaking to media at his fifth annual pass rush summit in Las Vegas and didn’t bother pretending the thought of playing with another future Hall of Fame quarterback hadn’t crossed his mind over the past few months.
“It’s crazy to think about, you know, getting an Aaron Rodgers,” Miller said Saturday, via The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You put him on any team in the league and he changes that team.”
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Miller Keeps Focus on Drew Lock
Miller has first-hand knowledge of how a major quarterback addition can reinvent a team. After signing Peyton Manning in 2012, the Broncos played in two of the next four Super Bowls, winning their later appearance in Super Bowl 50 — of which Miller was named the MVP after tallying six tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
But Miller also understands buying into rumors can backfire and has no interest in taking the attention off of Broncos third-year quarterback Drew Lock heading into 2021.
“If you get too emotionally involved in those guys, then it doesn’t happen, now you got Lock over here looking like … ‘What about now?'” Miller said. “So you don’t want to get too emotionally attached to the rumors. … You start thinking, ‘Oh, we’re going to get Aaron Rodgers or Deshaun Watson.’ But hold on, wait a minute, we’ve got Drew Lock. That’s who we’re running with. That’s who we’re going into the season with until anything changes.”
Packers Remain Uninterested in Trading Rodgers
Miller made the right call as a teammate staying loyal to Lock. He has been around long enough to know how to separate speculation from reality when speaking with reporters. And in the case of a possible Rodgers trade, Miller also probably recognizes what the Green Bay Packers have repeatedly said about the situation in the public eye.
“We’re not going to trade Aaron Rodgers,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters on April 29 shortly after the first report of their rift with Rodgers came to light, a sentiment he and other key members of the Packers brass have continually expressed since then.
Even if the Packers do have a change of heart about trading Rodgers, the likelihood of them getting a deal done anytime soon is extremely low. They might stand to gain an immediate player talent for 2021 if they trade Rodgers before or during the season, but they would also be better off waiting if draft capital is more important. After all, they won’t know the values of 2022 draft picks until after the season ends and would almost certainly be improving whichever team acquires Rodgers — therefore, likely devaluing the picks they receive in the trade.