OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas-born, Dallas-bred, and now a member of the Dallas Cowboys. That is the latest chapter in the illustrious career of Von Miller, the future Hall of Famer now officially in Oxnard to wrap up training camp before the team returns to the Metroplex in a few days with its homecoming king in tow.
Speaking for the first time in Cowboys' gear, and having officially signed his contract, the seven-time All-Pro pass rusher took to the podium and delved into his mindset going into the 2026 season, going so far as to point out the intentionality of his choice.
One year ago, Miller opted to sign with the Washington Commanders over the eventual Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks.
This time around, Miller saw the signs with the rebuilt defense in Dallas led by a familiar face in Christian Parker, as well as a chance run-in with All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott this offseason, and made it known on social media that this is where he wanted to be: home.
On signing with the Cowboys:
"It's really cool. It's like that movie 'Inception', like it's a dream within a dream. I always wanted to play in the National Football League and, now, playing for the Dallas Cowboys, you're going deep into it. A dream within a dream. It's super cool, and I know a lot of guys here already, and I know a lot of the coaches, too. Being here is surreal, for sure."
On manifesting it over the years:
"I'm an optimistic type of guy. Even when I finished the season with the Rams, I talked to the Cowboys. It didn't work out, and I ended up going to Buffalo, but every opportunity that I got — even before I came into the league — I tried to plant these little seeds. For it to happen, it goes to show that you can really manifest anything. Being here with the Dallas Cowboys, back in my hometown, is really cool."
On what he brings to the Cowboys:
"I can still play football, and I can still contribute in other ways. On my Super Bowl teams, it's not just one person that gets it done. You can say what you wanna say about my play on the field and what I got left, but when it comes to being a great teammate, if there was a Hall of Fame for that, I'm going into that Hall of Fame, first ballot."
On being a great teammate:
"First day of school, I'm getting to know my classmates, and you figure them out. It doesn't always happen on the first day but, over time, I'll win the guys over. Being here and knowing some guys, but the guys I don't know? I take pride in that, too. You see the Hall of Fame Game the other day, and you see so many of those other players talk about other players they've played with that helped their career.
"Selfishly, I want that. Whenever somebody goes into the Hall of Fame, to talk about my time with them and how I helped their progress, and helped them get to the Hall of Fame. I love being a great teammate and getting to know my guys."
On his relationship with DeMarcus Ware:
"I've known DeMarcus for a very long time. And when he [went] to Denver, we talked a lot about the Cowboys and his time [here] — some of the teammates he's had and some of the teams he's been on, and some of the coaches that he's had; and the ownership. We always talked about the Cowboys."
On how the Cowboys influenced his entire career:
"My very first memory of football — do you remember the movie 'Inside Out'? They had all those emotions but also core memories. One of my core memories was hearing my dad scream from the bedroom, and I had to be like, four, so I run back there and my dad is screaming with joy. I just remember the Star and thinking, 'Man, I wanna make my dad scream like that one day.
"That's when I fell in love with football. The Cowboys have been interwoven with my career in football, and I never thought I'd have the opportunity. I lobbied for it a long time, but for it to come true is a dream within a dream, for sure."
On being a mentor to Donovan Ezeiruaku and others:
"I've known Donovan for two years now, and that relationship kinda happened naturally. I've always had a young guy that I've taken a liking to — whether it was Shaq Barrett, [etc.]. There's always been one guy in the room that's been my guy."
On his main goal for 2026:
"The No.1 thing for me is to be the best teammate I can be to help everybody improve, whether it's offense, defense or special teams; and to win a championship. When it comes to getting sacks, I can still roll out of bed and do that. … I can walk into eight of those."
On when the Cowboys play his former teams:
"The only team that gets the emotional response from me is the Denver Broncos. I love the Denver Broncos. I was there for 11 years. I love the guys on the Bills and the Rams, too, and the Commanders, but it doesn't have that emotional attachment. And I love those guys. A lot of those guys are my buddies outside of football as well, coaches too, but, at the end of the day, I just wanna win.
"I don't have any beef with them. I want them to have success, just not when we play them. When the lights come on, I wanna win. In-between the plays, I'll joke and laugh like, 'How are the kids doing? How was the offseason?' And then you switch right back to ass-kicking mode."
What would winning the Super Bowl be like for the home-grown Miller:
"It's the Dallas Cowboys. When I won the Super Bowl in Denver, we had a million people out there. When we won with the Rams, it wasn't as much. Hell, at that parade, we were stopping at red lights. We still won the Super Bowl, and it's still dope, but it's just a different feel from those two organizations. When I was with the Buffalo Bills, if we won the Super Bowl, it would be a holiday in Orchard Park, and a holiday in Buffalo. Everybody would remember that, and there would be statues for everybody.
"That's just the type of organization they have and the type of fans that they have. The Dallas Cowboys fans are that same type of [diehard]. If we're able to have a successful season and win a Super Bowl here, it'll be a holiday in Dallas as well. … It would be crazy in Dallas. It'll be a holiday."
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