Von Miller comments during Super Bowl week appear to keep the door open for a possible return to the Broncos

LOS ANGELES — Von Miller never wanted to be traded away from the Denver Broncos.

“I didn’t want to leave. It wasn’t me that wanted to leave. I got traded,” the superstar pass rusher said on Monday in Los Angeles, as he and the Rams prepare for Super Bowl 56 on Sunday. “If it were up to me, I would still be in Denver trying to figure it out. It’s just how I am. It’s just how I’m built.”

After over a decade with the Broncos—which included over 100 sacks, multiple playoffs runs, a world championship and being named Super Bowl 50 MVP—the former No. 2-overall pick was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 1.

Weeks after the blockbuster trade, the Broncos were all but eliminated from the playoffs just as the Rams and Miller began to hit their stride and establish themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

In that shift, and during the playoffs, a significant portion of Broncos Country jumped on the Rams bandwagon to cheer for Von. That support from the Mile High City meant “everything” to former No. 58.

“It will always be love. I’ll always have Orange & Blue in my blood. I’ll always be a Coloradan,” Miller stated, as he donned Rams gear on Monday.

“It feels good for the city to really understand that and for them to know that this wasn’t my choice. I always wanted to be a Denver Bronco forever. I’ll always be a Denver Bronco forever. I’m just here working in L.A. right now,” he added with a chuckle.

Von didn’t hesitate sharing his passion for the Broncos. Von wasn’t shy gushing about his love for Colorado. And, during his 47-minute press conference on Monday, it felt as if Von talked about his time with the Broncos more than his upcoming Super Bowl with the Rams.

“I spent 10 and a half years there—a third of my life. My son was born there,” Miller stated. “So many of my close brothers still play for the team and I watched these guys grow up and watch these guys develop and I played with guys before them and spent eight years and nine years and seven years with all those other guys, man. I got to see Peyton Manning and John Elway was my boss. There’s just so many great things about Denver, man. To still have the support from the city is amazing.”

The support for Von Miller from Broncos Country will never go away. Only a few years after Von calls it a career, he’ll be enshrined into the Broncos Ring of Fame.

But it’s hard to hear Miller’s comments about the Broncos and think the possibility of a reunion with the team and the future Hall-of-Famer is out of the realm of possibility, especially when Von’s relationship with general manager George Paton wasn’t fractured one bit when the team traded him.

“I got to know George when we hired him and George is a great guy. I always felt like he cared about me genuinely,” Miller stated. “Whenever we talked and had our speeches and I asked him how I looked and how I’m playing, he would always give me great feedback and he would always tell me the truth.”

With Miller on an expiring contract, Paton was able to trade Von to the Rams for a second and third-round pick. The Rams got a superstar pass rusher on the outside to pair with a superstar pass rusher on the inside with Aaron Donald.

With the Rams six days away from a Super Bowl, the trade turned out to be a win-win-win for all three parties involved.

“Truthfully, I think George Paton, he was looking out for me. You don’t ever want to be traded. But George, he could have sent me anywhere. He could have sent me to any team in the NFL. I’m sure he could have gotten more from other teams,” Von stated.

“They paid the majority of my salary so I could come to the L.A. Rams. They sent me to a contender for a Super Bowl,” Miller continued. “I would tell him thank you. I always felt like it was more than just a football relationship with him. It definitely shows with the way they treated me, even on my way out they were thinking about the best situation for me and I’m thankful to the Denver Broncos, John Elway, George Paton and all of those guy for my time there.”

Despite a wildly successful three-month run with the Rams, Miller has yet to sign an extension to stay in Los Angeles. Although that could happen before Von officially hits free agency in March, he is set to hit the open market.

The Broncos have the sixth-most cap space in the NFL this upcoming year with over $40 million. That type of cap space would be plenty of money to lure back Miller to the team, city and state he loves so dearly.

On Sunday, a significant portion of Broncos Country will be cheering for Von Miller as he wears Royal Blue & Gold. It doesn’t appear the door is shut on Broncos fans potentially cheering for Von in Orange & Blue on Sundays in the fall.