“No surrender” from Broncos following Von Miller trade

To many in Broncos Country, the trade to send Von Miller from Denver to the Los Angeles Rams was a white flag of surrender on a season slipping away.

But, aside from a minor trade that sent 2021 seventh-round pick Kary Vincent Jr. to the Philadelphia Eagles for a sixth-rounder, the Broncos stayed quiet at the trade deadline instead of holding the widely-expected fire sale.

“You have to know where you are, but I still believe in this team,” Broncos general manager George Paton said on Tuesday. “We’re 4-4, and people think we’re 2-6. We haven’t played great football, and we’re 4-4. I’d like to think we’re going to play better and we’re going to get in the thick of it.”

And on Wednesday, head coach Vic Fangio doubled down on Denver not waiving the white flag just yet.

“Nobody is surrendering here,” Fangio said. “We talked to the team about that. We have confidence in the players that will step in for him. We have confidence in our team, and it still has the ability to improve a lot. That’s what we’re counting on. There’s no surrender.”

While Fangio admitted that his final meeting with Miller was “a little bit emotional,” he downplayed how emotions have affected the locker room following the departure of one of the franchise’s greatest players.

“We all love and appreciate what Von has done here for this team over the years, but it’s not the first time it’s happened in the NFL,” Fangio said. “(The) 49ers traded Joe Montana.”

Safety Justin Simmons called the news of Miller’s departure “tough” to hear, but he said “by no means is this a ‘Hey, we’re turning the tide and giving up on the season’” situation.

“If people think we’re tanking because of what happened with Von, that’s their prerogative and there’s no way I’m going to change that other than the play on the field,” Simmons said Wednesday. “That’s what it comes down to week in and week out.

“I talked about it the four weeks when we were losing. Everyone’s asking like, ‘What’s going on?’ I’m explaining, and it doesn’t matter what I say, no matter how well I put it. We’re not winning. That’s all that matters, so at the end of the day, no matter what I say about how great I feel about the team and how well I think we could do, it doesn’t matter unless we win. There’s not much I’m going to be able to say to tell fans or anyone else how confident I am. We’ve just got to go show you on Sundays. I’ve got to show you on Sundays.”