Von Miller looks to replicate feat with Bills that was accomplished by NFL all-time sack leader Bruce Smith

Von Miller signed with the Buffalo Bills to bring a football-crazy city the one thing they desire, a Super Bowl championship. Miller signed a six-year contract with the Bills to fulfill this promise, as the $120 million deal will keep the star pass rusher in Buffalo until he’s 38 years old. 

Players don’t usually see the life of their deal. Miller wants to defy the odds for a player in his mid 30s. 

“This is a six-year deal, so I’m looking forward to playing the whole thing,” Miller said, via the Buffalo News. “I’m trying to play the whole thing out. Tom Brady’s done it, Bruce Smith has done it. All the guys that I look up to when it comes to longevity in careers. So I just take it one day at a time, and I’m just gonna take whatever God gives me. My intention is to play the whole thing out. I’m a real sicko when you get to know me. My mindset is different.”

Smith signed a six-year, $28.2 million deal with the Bills in 1997 — but didn’t get to see the whole deal in Buffalo as a result of a salary cap dump after the 1999 season. He landed a five-year, $23 million deal with Washington in 2000 at 37 years old, playing on a  contract that kept him in an NFL uniform until he was 41. Smith was released heading into the final year of his contract (at age 40), but hinted he was going to retire prior to his release. The 29 sacks Smith put up in Washington allowed him to become the league’s all-time sack leader, notching 200 sacks in a 19-year career. 

Even though Smith signed two big deals in his mid-to-late 30s, he wasn’t released on account of performance. Miller wants to play out his deal in Buffalo, showcasing he can still get after the quarterback at this stage of his career. 

Miller was dominant once he was traded to Los Angeles at the trade deadline, showcasing he still has the talent to be an impact player and difference maker on a defense. Leading the NFL with 18 tackles for loss since playing his first game with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10, Miller also racked up 52 pressures (third in NFL) and nine sacks (tied for sixth) with Los Angeles (including postseason).

Making his money in the postseason, Miller finished with 14 tackles, four sacks, six quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. His 22 pressures trailed only Aaron Donald (23) and 16 hurries led all NFL defenders, a critical part in the Rams winning a championship. 

Miller finished with 50 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble in the regular season — along with 55 pressures and 47 hurries (seventh in NFL). Those numbers will certainly do in Buffalo if Miller can lead the Bills to a Super Bowl.