USAT: Bills Wire audio clip

USAT: Bills Wire

Mar 24, 2022

- - - The dust has settled and yes, Von Miller is now a member of the Buffalo Bills. But how did they pull this one off? - Sure, the large contract he signed played a part. - There was more at play, though. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler pulled back the curtain on some of that. - In breaking down how Miller to Buffalo came to be, the report from the former world-wide leader says two other factors played a big part. The first was the team’s roster…namely one guy, quarterback Josh Allen: - Buffalo managed to produce a top-ranked defense despite one missing ingredient: a dominant rusher off the edge. That was intriguing. Also, the fact quarterback Josh Allen is 25 years old and under contract for the next seven years in Buffalo was appealing. Remember, Miller signed a contract extension in Denver as Peyton Manning was on his way out. Miller never got back to the playoffs until the Rams traded for him. That wore on him. - In addition, give yourself a pat on the back. - That’s right, Bills Mafia also got a shoutout. Miller was a huge fan of playing in front of… Buffalo fans: - Bills fans are intense, which Miller loved, with the pageantry reminding him of College Station from his Texas A&M days. Plus, the Bills really wanted this to happen and weren’t going to lose out on him again. Miller got the impression during the process that the Bills had tried to trade for him in the past, possibly during last year’s trade deadline as the Rams acquired him. When Miller became a free agent, Buffalo quietly applied a full-court press, knowing Los Angeles would be aggressive in trying to re-sign him. - While only now just a free agent for the first time in his career, Miller actually revealed this was not the first time he envisioned himself playing in Buffalo. - He nearly fell to the Bills back in the day at the 2011 NFL draft, but instead, he went to the Denver Broncos at No. 2 overall. Buffalo was on the board third. - In discussing that at his introductory press conference with the Bills, Miller noted he had previously been excited to play in Buffalo. Clearly, he still is. - “I’ve been a big fan of the Bills for a long time. I thought I was going to be a Buffalo Bill when I first got drafted,” Miller said. “Denver came out of nowhere the day before the draft and I got wind that I was going to be a Denver Bronco–That whole offseason I thought I was going to be a Buffalo Bill. I already bought into the Buffalo Bills, had Buffalo Bills gear, I knew about the Bills Mafia, I knew how much this team meant to this community. I was OK with [being drafted by the Bills] back then and I’m definitely OK with it now.” - - RelatedContract details for Buffalo Bills DT DaQuan JonesMorning mock draft: Draft Wire sends Bills Florida's Kaiir ElamCommanders sign former Bills DL Efe Obada - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Bills Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Bills Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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