Nik Bonitto still watches Von Miller while trying to break his records

Denver Broncos edge-rusher Nik Bonitto has a ridiculous seven sacks in five games this season.

That leads the NFL by a comfortable margin, with Bonitto currently 1.5 sacks ahead of Byron Young from the Los Angeles Rams.

And it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out Bonitto is on a crazy pace. If he keeps this up and plays and all 17 games, Bonitto would finish with 23.5 or 24 sacks. That would break the all-time mark of 22.5 sacks in a single season shared by T.J. Watt who did it in 2021 and Michael Strahan who did it in 2001.

But even if Nik Bonitto slows just a little bit, Von Miller’s single season franchise record for the Broncos is in his sights. Miller, one of the best players ever to wear orange and blue, had 18.5 sacks in the 2012 season.

After practice in London on Thursday, ahead of the team’s game with the New York Jets this weekend, The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider caught up with Bonitto who clearly has a lot of love for Miller.

Nik Bonitto is firmly chasing Von Miller’s franchise record for sacks in a season, a surreal thought for a kid who grew up on The Vonster’s highlights.

“Every Sunday I’m trying to watch him play and see what he’s doing,” Bonitto said. … “Von’s the GOAT, bro.”

— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) October 9, 2025

Unfortunately, Nik Bonitto and Miller never played together with the Broncos. The Super Bowl 50 MVP Miller was traded in 2021, while Denver selected Bonitto in the second-round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Still, at just 26-years-old, Bonitto grew up watching Miller. He was a young teenager when Miller took the NFL by storm after joining the Broncos in 2011.

It’s cool the Bonitto has followed Miller’s journey from the Broncos to the Rams, to the Bills and now the Commanders — and still watches him play.

You can bet arguably the best defender in Broncos history is watching Bonitto every chance he gets. Miller is still very fond of Denver even though he’s on his third team since being shipped out of town.

Nik Bonitto is living the dream, following his idol and maybe breaking some records in the process.

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