von miller
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Von Miller.
Though the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t won the AFC West in over 20 years, the rivalries in the division are as strong as ever. Former Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller has played for four different franchises in his career.
This offseason, there was speculation that he could be a fit for the Raiders, despite his status as a Broncos legend. He decided to play with the speculation and posted that he was signing with the Raiders on April Fools’ Day.
While most people caught onto the gag, Miller had to come out and make it clear that he’s most likely never going to play for the Raiders.
“Y’all know that ain’t real, man,” Miller said on a video posted to social media. “April Fools’, man. … Hey, but you never know … but yeah, I think we kinda know.”
Miller’s 37 now, so if he’s going to play for a team, he’s going to want to go to a contender or perhaps reunite with Denver. The Raiders wouldn’t make sense for him for a number of reasons. He’s not going to go out of his way to upset the Broncos fan base. That said, general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak worked with Miller in Denver, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they liked the idea of signing him, but as Miller noted, it’s not going to happen.
Raiders Already Signed Kwity Paye
Another reason why signing Miller likely wouldn’t make sense for the Raiders is that they’ve already added a veteran pass rusher in free agency. The team gave a solid contract to Kwity Paye and also gave a one-year deal to bring back Malcolm Koonce.
That’s not to mention that Maxx Crosby is sticking with the team after the trade with the Baltimore Ravens fell through.
“It’s going to be crazy, man,” Paye said of possibly playing with Crosby. “Just seeing him pursue and just his relentless pursuit throughout the down, just being to play with him and get after it.”
“I’m athletic enough to play anywhere on the line, so anywhere these guys need me, and I’m going to go out there and play,” he added. “Playing opposite of Maxx is going to be great. And yeah, just anywhere they need me.”
Ravens Ripped for Crosby Situation
The Raiders’ offseason would’ve looked a lot different had the Crosby trade actually happened. The team would’ve had an additional first-round pick and a lot more money to work with.
The Ravens cited a failed physical as the reason they didn’t approve the trade, but not everybody is buying that excuse. The Athletic’s Mike Sando spoke to a number of NFL executives who believe the Ravens did the Raiders dirty.
“If you really wanted the guy, you would get him in there for his physical as soon as possible,” an exec told Sando. “You would pull your doctors off whatever they were doing. That’s easy. It was advantageous for the Ravens to slow-play the physical and keep open their options. That is why I believe the narrative.”