Why are the Broncos paying Von Miller's salary despite trading him?
Veteran defensive end Von Miller was perhaps the biggest name to be traded on deadline day. Miller spent ten years with the Denver Broncos and played a key role in their Super Bowl victory over the Carolina Panthers.
In seven out of his ten years in the league, Miller recorded at least 10 sacks, with his best return coming in just his second year in the league in 2012 when he recorded an impressive 18.5 sacks.
He is known for his disruptive play and consistent quarterback pressure, which has made him one of the most dominant pass rushers of the last decade. The last two seasons have seen Miller's production drop off with only eight sacks the previous year and 4.5 sacks through seven games this season.
RT to welcome @VonMiller to LA 🤗 https://t.co/BdclM5ZpAE
Miller's move to the L.A. Rams makes the NFC franchise seriously scary on the defensive side of the ball. Having Aaron Donald and Von Miller on either side of the D-line is terrifying for opposing quarterbacks.
The Broncos are paying Miller's salary despite him playing for the Rams
One of the surprising things about the Von Miller trade is that the Denver Broncos are paying his wages despite him not being on the team. ESPN's Adam Schefter gave a little insight on his podcast about the Miller situation.
"During the course of the talks, the Broncos recognized that under the current compensatory draft pick formula, had Von Miller left after this season when his contract was up, which was the probability and the likelihood, the best they would have gotten back in a compensatory draft pick was a fifth-round pick in 2023," Schefter said.
"So when the Denver Broncos looked at that and said we could get a fifth-round pick in 2023, or we could pay down 9 million of Von Miller's $9.7 million base salary, what's left of it, and get back a second and third round pick as opposed to the fifth round pick in a distant year. And ultimately, Denver decided that this was a trade that it had to make," Schefter finished.
So essentially by trading Miller and paying most of his base salary for the year, the Broncos got a stronger draft hand to try and build a team capable of winning a Super Bowl.
Blockbuster: Broncos are finalizing a trade to send eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two second-day 2022 draft picks, league sources tell ESPN.
Miller is now saying his goodbyes to his friends in the Broncos’ training facility. https://t.co/wJjlDOQkPU
Whether Teddy Bridgewater is "that guy" remains to be seen. Denver have been OK so far this season; they have also been largely underwhelming. With Miller now in L.A., the Rams have put all their chips on the table in a bid to bring a Super Bowl to SoFi Stadium.
If the Rams can get some form of production out of Miller, who they have essentially got for free this season, then it will be a great piece of business, defensively.
Adding a player of Miller's caliber to the likes of Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd and Justin Hollins makes the Rams defense a serious unit.
Miller could be the missing piece for the Rams in their Super Bowl puzzle. It is a trade that on paper has worked out well for both the Broncos and the Rams.