Von Miller wants back in Denver. The veteran pass rusher has been very outspoken about his desire to return to the Broncos, but the team has largely ignored his public pleas and there is no obvious spot for him on the roster.

That is the central problem now that Miller is a free agent and the Broncos are trying to move forward from a franchise history he once helped define. This week, Sports Illustrated said the lack of a fit is tied mainly to special teams, a role Miller is not interested in taking on at this stage of his career.

Miller was once the face of the Broncos franchise and one of the defining players of the Super Bowl 50 era. In 2021, general manager George Paton traded him to the Los Angeles Rams, and Miller went on to win another Super Bowl that same year. Since then, he has spent time with the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Commanders, where he totaled nine sacks last season at age 36.

The Broncos are no longer built around the player they used to be. After the loss in the AFC championship game, Denver has moved into a new phase with Bo Nix as the face of the franchise and a younger edge-rusher group taking shape around Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson and Jonah Elliss are also part of the depth picture, which makes the reunion case harder to sell.

Bonitto praised Miller and said fans and players would relish seeing him back in the Mile High City, a reminder of how much goodwill still surrounds the former star. But admiration is not the same as a roster fit, and Denver’s current setup suggests the team is asking a simple question: if Miller is not going to play special teams, where exactly does he fit?

That is why the conversation has sharpened now. Miller’s name still carries weight in Denver, but the Broncos have already chosen their next era, and unless the roster changes, the door for a reunion looks more sentimental than real.