NFL teams
Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer 3y

Denver Broncos LB Von Miller 'at peace' if this is final year with team

NFL, Denver Broncos

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller reported for his 11th season Tuesday, and while he has always hoped to be a "Bronco for life," he says as he enters the last year of his contract that he wants to play several more years and is "at peace" if that is eventually somewhere else.

"I would like to keep playing. Whether that's here with the Denver Broncos or somewhere else, I'm totally at peace with that," Miller said as the Broncos' veteran players reported Tuesday for training camp. "I want to play five to seven more years, I think I said that a couple weeks ago."

Miller, who was the Broncos' first-round pick in the 2011 draft, is the team's longest-tenured player. The Broncos engaged his contract option for the 2021 season in March, the last year of the six-year, $114.5 million deal he signed in 2016 several months after he had been named MVP of Super Bowl 50.

He turned 32 in March, is about to be a father and said he wants to continue playing so his future son will be able to see him play. But after worrying about his future for most of the summer of 2020, Miller said he's taking a calmer approach this time around, even as he hopes to finish his career with the Broncos.

"I'm not really thinking about this is the last year of my contract, [or] will I be with the Broncos," Miller said. "Last year, to be honest, that was really on my soul. I really wanted, I really wanted -- of course I want to be here. I want to stay here for the rest of my career, but getting past that is kind of a release for me."

Miller had powered through a bevy of offseason workouts in 2020 in hopes of leaving his eight-sack season in 2019 behind and helping end the current Broncos playoff drought, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury days before the season opener and did not play in a game. His eight-sack total in '19 was the lowest since 2013, when he had five.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio has already predicted Miller is again poised to have a big year in 2021, and general manager George Paton said picking up Miller's option was an easy decision. "We wanted Von to be a Bronco ... he's going to have a Pro Bowl-type season," Paton said earlier this year.

"Sitting out last year, it really helped me be at peace," Miller said Tuesday. "Being at peace and being content, they are two totally different things. I feel like you can be at peace with whatever happens, but you still want to go out there and lead the league in sacks, you still want to get Defensive Player of the Year, still want to get all this crazy stuff, but I'm at peace with whatever happens."

With 106 sacks in 135 career games, Miller is the Broncos' all-time sack leader, and he enters the 2021 season as the league's active sack leader, five ahead of J.J. Watt.

Since Miller missed the 2020 season and Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb missed most of the 2019 season with a knee injury, Miller has plenty of optimism for what the two may be able to do together in the defense this year. Chubb was named to his first Pro Bowl last season.

And in the 20 games Miller and Chubb have played together, they have combined for 29.5 sacks.

"He looks ready to go, I'm ready to go, this might be the one ... I'm excited to see the things me and Bradley can do," Miller said.

"I feel great ... I'm still running the same, still lifting the same as those guys. ..." Miller added later. "I'm hoping to play another five to seven years, maybe even more. I don't want to put a number on it -- if it's less, it's less. I'm at peace I've played in the league long enough. I've been in the league 11 years, so every single year after this is just a true blessing. I want to play a long time."

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