Von Miller was in as much shock as the rest of apountry after learning he had been traded to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday.
Speaking to reporters outside team headquarters a couple of hours after the news broke, the 32-year-old said he felt “kind of numb” in the immediate aftermath.
“(The trade) was a surprise,” Miller said. “This team, they’re going to start winning soon. … We’ve got a lot of great players and a lot of great coaches here, and the staff is amazing. I wanted to be a part of it to fix it, but you’ve just got to keep moving.”
Miller, the Broncos’ franchise sack leader with 110.5, spent Monday morning meeting individually with coach Vic Fangio, general manager George Paton and president/CEO Joe Ellis, as well as saying goodbye to teammates before he departed from the facility around noon.
Miller became one of 10 defensive players to be named Super Bowl MVP after he led the Broncos to a win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 — his last playoff game in orange and blue.
“I’ll always have Super Bowl 50,” an emotional Miller said. “I had a lot of beautiful years here, a lot of great memories, a lot of great teammates, a lot of great coaches, a lot of great fans. I’ll never forget all of those people.”
Miller, who missed Sunday’s win over Washington with a knee injury, said he expects to play in the Rams’ upcoming Sunday Night Football game against the Titans. And he’s looking forward to joining a playoff-caliber team with a defense featuring an array of All-Pro playmakers.
“(The Rams are) a great team, and I’ve been a huge fan of (defensive end) Aaron Donald for a long time,” Miller said. “They’ve got a great defense — (cornerback) Jalen Ramsey, (linebacker) Leonard Floyd, all these guys. I’m excited — I’ve always been a team guy and I’ve always been a great teammate, and I’m going to continue to do the same thing.”
Even as he looks forward to joining the Rams, who are 7-1, Miller said he’ll forever be defined by his “life-changing” career in Denver.
“This is all I ever knew playing pro sports, here with the Denver Broncos,” Miller said. “I’ve been here through the ups and the downs, and it’s always tough whenever you leave. But I love all my fans, I love apountry. When I said ‘Broncos for life,’ I meant that, and (this team) will always be in my heart. It was an honor and a privilege to play here.”
