There are few players in the 21st century who have been a bigger nuisance for the Las Vegas Raiders than Von Miller. During his long stint with the Denver Broncos, he consistently got after the quarterback and had 10.0 sacks against the Raiders.
The Broncos and Raiders have a heated and historic rivalry, so he learned to hate the team early in his career. However, Miller has also formed a close bond with Maxx Crosby over the years.
Miller is 37 now and likely only has one or two more years left of his playing days. He has recently joked about the idea of playing with the Raiders, but has said that he probably wouldn’t due to his loyalty to Denver.
He was recently a guest on Maxx Crosby’s “The Rush” podcast and brought up the idea of playing in Las Vegas again.
“I would love to be on a team that has a great quarterback, a great pass rush, a system in place … (pauses to look at Crosby) Raiders!” Miller said and then laughed.
He’s likely joking around, but the Raiders would make some sense for him. They don’t have a proven, consistent pass rusher on the roster outside of Crosby and could use a veteran like Miller.
Would Miller Actually Join the Raiders?
Rivalries aside, the biggest reason Miller wouldn’t play with the Raiders is the fact that they likely aren’t a playoff team yet. The last three teams he signed with were all considered Super Bowl contenders.
That said, he does already have two rings, so the idea of playing a season in a city like Las Vegas could be appealing. He’d be able to team up with Crosby, and he has a goal of getting another 3.5 sacks before he retires to move up the all-time leaderboard. The Raiders would be a great spot if he’s hoping to put up some numbers to end his career.
Raiders Edge Defenders Improved?
The Raiders pass rush wasn’t among the best in the NFL, but it was a decent unit, mostly thanks to Crosby. This offseason, the team signed Kwity Paye, brought back Malcolm Koonce and drafted Keyron Crawford.
It remains to be seen how impactful those moves will be, but just with those additions, ESPN’s Ryan McFadden believes the team has improved at edge rusher.
“Maxx Crosby came back, even though he technically didn’t leave. The Ravens backed out of a verbal trade agreement that would’ve sent the All-Pro edge rusher to Baltimore, and he returned to Las Vegas with more help on the edge,” McFadden wrote. “Paye totaled 30.5 sacks in five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, including 20.5 in his final three years. Las Vegas also re-signed Malcolm Koonce on a one-year deal. Koonce is more than a year removed from a knee injury that caused him to miss the entire 2024 season.
“The added support should allow the Raiders to manage Crosby’s snap count to support his longevity while improving the team’s pass rush efforts after previously being inconsistent in pressuring quarterbacks.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Von Miller Makes Comment About Joining Raiders to Maxx Crosby appeared first on HEAVY.