'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In a seismic move on the eve of the NFL trade deadline, the Los Angeles Rams have acquired eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller. The Rams are sending two second-day draft picks to the Denver Broncos for Miller.
Cap space can be tricky, especially considering how much elite-level talent the Rams already have on their roster. So how much money is Von Miller worth annually, and what will the Rams have to pay to keep their newly acquired Pro-Bowl linebacker?
Can the Rams afford Von Miller long-term?
It would appear that the Rams are deep in a "win now" culture. They are currently at the top of the NFC with a 7-1 record, and adding a high-level talent like Von Miller to their already stacked defense will make the Rams a definite Super Bowl favorite.
So how much will the game-changing acquisition cost? Not a lot.
As per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Denver Broncos will incur $9 million of Von Miller's remaining $9.7 million salary as part of the trade. That's good news for the Rams.
Von Miller earns an estimated $17.5 million a year as his base salary. He was also given a $4.125 million pro-rated bonus and a $500,000 workout bonus. That comes up to $22.125 million for the 2021 season.
Now that the Rams have picked up Miller in Week 8, that number has seemingly dropped down to $9.7 million, with the Broncos doing all the heavy lifting and almost all of it. The draft picks that the Broncos receive should be in the second and third rounds for any of this to make sense.
The Broncos gave up their best defensive player and are paying almost all of his remaining salary. The Rams currently have $5 million in cap space and pay only $700,000 for a Pro-Bowl talent.
Depending on how Miller performs for the rest of the season, the Rams will need to find additional cap space to strike a new deal with him as the six-year deal he signed in 2016 expires at the end of the current campaign.
Miller currently has 4.5 sacks on the year, and that number can jump up now that he'll play alongside fellow defensive standout Aaron Donald. The Rams now have two of the best pass rushers in the league on their roster, in addition to an outstanding offense. They have put the rest of the league on notice that they will leave no stone unturned in their quest for a Super Bowl.
