The year is 2021. The Broncos are five years removed from reaching the highest of highs in winning Super Bowl 50 before floundering at the bottom of the AFC West. Peyton Manning is retired. None of the retreads brought in to stabilize the offense have panned out (we don’t have the carousel graphic due to copyright laws. Sorry). Being waist deep in mediocrity had taken its toll on the team in deeper ways than just a middling roster. A shakeup was needed somewhere, leading to an unthinkable thought: dealing the Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller in exchange for draft capital. On November 1st, 2021, the Broncos agreed to send their franchise cornerstone to the Los Angeles Rams for 2nd and 3rd round picks in the following year's draft. From 2nd overall pick to being the best player on one of the best defenses in league history and all the happy moments in between, Miller and Broncos Country's collective mouths were agape at the thought of Miller lining up for any other team other than the Broncos. Three months later, Miller would be holding his second Lombardi Trophy as a member of Rams. It was a bittersweet feeling for Broncos Country. The more things change, the more they stay the same. With the curtains opening soon on the 26/27 season, Von Miller is again campaigning to be part of the Mile High City, this time as a free agent after stops in Buffalo and Washington along the way. While the vibes are great, mostly due to the Broncos being relevant again, Miller is lobbying hard through the media in his desire to finish out his playing days wearing orange and blue. Which begs the question, what if Miller had never been traded and stayed with Denver for his entire career? Important to remember during that time, Miller wanted another chance at a ring, and the Broncos accommodated that. This was a shock move in that the team made the drastic choice to move on from a player in the prime of his career, and Miller knew the Broncos were a couple years away from competing for a playoff spot, much less a title. So the hand-holding, we-are-family stance that Miller has taken this offseason in wanting to is in contrast with this stated desire to chase another banner way back when. Where was the sense of loyalty there? Flying under the radar, the Broncos made a VERY savvy move in dealing Von at the onset of his decline in play, which has steepened recently. Do you know how many double-digit sack seasons Miller has had since he left Denver? The number is zero. Since 2021 and despite playing in at least 12 games in all but one season, Miller and 10 sacks haven't been said in the same breath. Go back and watch Matt Peart block Miller one-on-one in the 2024 Wild Card game; Miller is a ghost of who he was back in his prime. It's unique to see the love Broncos Country has for Von and vice versa. But no player is Teflon enough to ward off criticism for a decline in play, and that likely would have happened to Miller had he never been dealt. Not to mention, Miller's production was badly needed at that time too. If Von Miller is the lone prominent face on a young, rebuilding defense, is any franchise going to have patience with an output of less than 50 tackles and around 5 sacks yearly? Don’t be silly; the answer is no, and the trade of Miller essentially protected his stature from being tarnished, even if it didn’t seem like it at the time. What would have changed if the front office chose to keep Von Miller amid the turbulence at that time? If the goal of every trade is both parties getting a benefit, then this was a great trade by definition. Von got his ring AND another payday; Denver got out from under his deal and drafted Nik Bonitto with one of those picks acquired from LA. If Von had played in Denver like he had while he was away with the Rams, Bills, and Commanders, he would not be this beloved figure like he is right now.