Von Miller’s choice not to sign with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason landed him in the same general neighborhood as DK Metcalf and Geno Smith: all three walked away from a chance to be part of Seattle’s title push, and all three ended up missing out.
Miller was a different kind of case from the two former Seahawks. He wasn’t a longtime Seattle fixture asking for a change of scenery.
He was a veteran with two championships already on his résumé - one with the Denver Broncos in 2016 and another with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 - and he believed the Washington Commanders offered a better shot at ring No. 3.
Metcalf and Smith, by contrast, wanted out of the Pacific Northwest. Both asked for trades, and general manager John Schneider granted those requests. Smith was sent to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he could reunite with new head coach Pete Carroll, while Metcalf was dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Seahawks came out better for it, and not just on the field. Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp, who stepped in as the most direct replacements for Smith and Metcalf, respectively, fit better with the team’s culture than the more volatile quarterback and receiver they replaced.
Would Seattle have won the Super Bowl with Smith and Metcalf still in the fold? Doubtful. Their decisions to leave the team they had spent so many years with ended up costing them.
Smith lasted one season in Las Vegas before being traded to the New York Jets this offseason after a year in which he was highly ineffective. Metcalf, meanwhile, underperformed with the Steelers and also struck a fan during a game.
Seahawks fans probably didn’t find any of that surprising. Kupp, on the other hand, gave Seattle a valued voice in the locker room and helped younger players in a way Metcalf is incapable of.
Miller has now made his own feelings clear. He recently said on an episode of the 89 Podcast with Steve Smith Sr. and James Palmer that he had passed on Seattle last offseason.
At least Miller’s thinking seemed practical. Smith and Metcalf looked more emotional when they pushed for exits from Seattle. None of them got where they wanted in 2025, though.
And now Miller is back on the market. He’s 37, but he was still productive last season, finishing with nine sacks and 15 quarterback hits. A Seahawks reunion still looks unlikely, though, because the team added Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency, leaving no room for Miller.
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