ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills general manager Brandon Beane, at his end of season news conference, said he didn’t anticipate being a big spender in free agency.
A call from Von Miller’s agent changed all that, and that the message was clear.
“If we could work it out financially and hit some important points for them, that this was where he wanted to go,” Beane said.
That ultimately led to Miller signing a reported six-year, $120 million contract on Thursday.
Miller, who is about to turn 33 on March 26, had four sacks in the postseason for the Rams en route to a Super Bowl title, and 9.5 during the regular season, during which he was traded to Los Angeles from Denver.
Coming off a narrow divisional playoff loss to Kansas City, where defense or a lack thereof was very much an issue, Beane said the signing was an opportunity he simply couldn’t pass on.
“You know I don’t ever plan to be a big spender. I like to grow our own, but I’m never going to shy away from seeing if there’s something there," Beane said. In this case, we all watched this guy down the playoff stretch … what he showed, he’s still got.”
There’s no question that the last two years have shown the Bills are in the middle of a championship window, and that Miller could be the missing piece where pass rush has been an issue.
Beane says he doesn’t think by paying for a “big fish” like Miller that the Bills are sacrificing long term success to win now from a salary cap standpoint.
“You know, I think we’ve done a pretty good job of setting ourselves up to handle this. … Get creative. … We’re going to try to win now, but I’m not trying to set this up that if we don’t win this year, or the next year, that we’ve got to blow it up and start over," Beane said.
Miller joins now former Bucs tight end O.J. Howard, and former Washington defensive tackle Tim Settle as players who signed with Buffalo because they feel they’re on the brink of winning a Super Bowl. Former Bills like defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and defensive end Shaq Lawson re-signed this year after leaving for other teams.
Beane acknowledged that with success, Buffalo has become far more of a free agent destination for players.
“I remember saying a few years ago if people don’t want to be in Buffalo … probably something profane. … But It’s exciting to me that the City of Buffalo got chosen over the glamour of L.A., or Dallas, or some of those other cities. That hasn’t always been the case. I think it’s cool for the city, for the Pegulas, and it’s exciting for our community,” Beane said.
