Determining the status of Von Miller dubbed Bills’ biggest remaining offseason priority

No one expected Von Miller’s tenure in Western New York to evolve so quickly.

To be honest, it went off without a hitch at first; The NFL’s all-time active sack leader was an immediate destroyer for the Buffalo Bills after signing a six-year contract worth $120 million with the team during the 2022 offseason, notching eight sacks in his first 10 games.

And then Ford Field happened.

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The passer tore his ACL in a Week 11 game at Detroit, missing the remainder of the season and the first four games of the 2023 campaign. He returned in Week 5, less than a year later. year after suffering the initial injury, recording a tackle in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It would be the start of an incredibly disappointing season for the then 34-year-old. He recorded just three total tackles and no sacks, rounding out his stat line with a career-low total of 17 quarterback pressures, per PFF.

His season was nothing short of a disaster. Once signed as a game-changer, Miller was no longer a factor, struggling to make an impact in a rotation role. He was even benched for the team’s Week 17 game against the New England Patriots.

The veteran agreed to a significant pay cut to remain at One Bills Drive through the 2024 offseason, lowering his base salary for the upcoming season from $17.145 million to $8.5 million. Aside from the reduced cap hit, some around the league feel like Miller’s security in Buffalo is anything but certain; NFL.com analyst Kevin Patra recently wrote that deciding whether the 35-year-old still has a role on the team is the Bills’ “biggest remaining offseason priority.”

Miller took a pay cut to stay in Buffalo this offseason, but even with $8.5 million guaranteed, he’s not sure he’ll make the final roster if the club doesn’t see improvement from of the future Hall of Fame,” Patra wrote. “Things move quickly in the NFL, and Miller hasn’t earned a Pro Bowl nod since 2019. In 12 games last season, he didn’t generate a sack, had 12 pressures on 164 snaps passing and made three tackles.

“The hope is that being even further removed from his 2022 knee injury can get the edge rusher back into shape, but that’s not a guarantee for a 35-year-old. If Miller can’t be productive in a rotation role behind Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa, it might be time to move on to Buffalo.

Related: NFL writer questions if Von Miller remains on Bills roster for entire season

Patra’s analysis is solid, and while it’s certainly fair to question Miller’s long-term security with the team, his status is likely locked in for the 2024 campaign. He still projects as the team’s main rotation defensive end, and cutting him after June 1 would only free up $280,000 in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap – would the team realistically prefer to have a player with 123.5 career sacks coming off the bench, or marginally more financial room for maneuver?

The team could free up more than $8.5 million in salary cap space if they trade Miller after June 1, but given the stats and factors we’ve explored in this article, it’s hard to imagine that A team voluntarily acquires the veteran.

Buffalo is hoping Miller can regain some of his former glory in the 2024 season. If he can’t, the team can save $17.5 million by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation during the next offseason.