DALLAS — Von Miller said he supports the new NFL and NFL Players Association rule that suspends players a game for three health and safety violations in a season, calling a guaranteed suspension insane before saying he is with it if the goal is a safer game.
Miller made the comments on the Season 2 premiere of Free Range with Von Miller, the podcast he hosts with Audacy and posts to his YouTube channel. TJ Banks co-hosts the show.
The league and the union announced the agreement Wednesday, Aug. 26, in a joint statement from the annual league meeting in Atlanta. Player representatives voted on the changes the day before. The policy takes effect this season.
Five categories carry the new penalty structure: the hip drop tackle, the horse collar tackle, launching, a hit on a defenseless player, and the blindside block. Three offenses across any of those categories in a season trigger a one-game suspension. A player with one violation gets 50% of that fine back at the end of the season.
Every player starts 2026 with a clean slate, though violations carry forward into later seasons. Coaches must meet with the league when a player on their roster approaches the threshold, and clubs with excessive team violations face additional financial penalties.
Von Miller On The New Suspension Rule
Miller will play his first season under the new system at age 37.
“Yeah, I mean, a guaranteed suspension is insane. So it’s past the fine, guaranteed suspension,” Miller said. “I think for me, what helps me with all of these different situations is I’m always going for the ball. I’m always trying to look for the ball. And I think if you lead with that, it kind of gets you out of trouble, whether it’s hip drop tackle or horse collar.”
“And I’ve had horse collar penalties and all that stuff. But 90% of the time, I’m going for the ball and I feel like that helps me stay out of danger, whether it’s leading with the helmet or hip drop or anything that might occur,” Miller continued. “I’m always going for the ball and I think that helps with my intention whenever I’m going to tackle.”
The penalties in question are called rarely. Three hip drop tackles have been flagged in the two seasons since the league banned the technique, according to NFLpenalties.com. Officials called 28 illegal blindside blocks and 4 horse collar tackles in 2025.
Von Miller Says Adapting Is Part Of The Job
The hip drop tackle was not a penalty for the first 13 seasons of Miller’s career.
“It just comes with being a pro. Like things change and you got to be able to adjust and adapt and evolve. That’s just how it goes in the NFL,” Miller explained. “You have to be able to change, especially for a guy like me. This is my 16th year in the league. There are things that I could do my rookie season that’s just not the way you play football in 2026.”
“So you have to be able to change and evolve no matter how long you’ve been playing a sport,” Miller added. “You have to be able to relearn and create new mental pathways to be the best football player that you can be and continue to evolve with the league, in a league that’s always changing. And it’s always changing for the better. So all the rules that they make are to help make the game safer.”
Miller was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 after Denver took him second overall out of Texas A&M. He has 138.5 career sacks, the most among active players, and is entering his 15th season.
Von Miller Points To The Injury Risk
Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu drew a one-game suspension last November after a third hip drop violation, the last of them on Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Luvu faced losing a game check worth more than $500,000 before winning an appeal that replaced the suspension with a $100,000 fine, ESPN reported at the time.
Miller played 17 games alongside Luvu in Washington last season.
“An injury can just derail your career. Just think one of these guys get like a broken leg off a hip drop tackle. That’s taking money out of their pockets. That’s making the game more dangerous,” Miller said. “Don’t let it be like a star player. You just derail whoever this player is, career.”
“So I think any rule change that makes the game safer, no matter how dramatic it is, I just feel like you have to be able to adjust. And I’m all for it,” Miller noted. “But to get suspended off of one violation, I think that’s there to really drive home that the NFL means business about some of these rules that they’re making. It’s all to make the game safer. And if it’s about making the game safer, I’m with it.”
Miller agreed to a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 16 worth $5.5 million, with a maximum of $7.5 million. He had 9.0 sacks in 17 games for Washington last season on 420 defensive snaps, 37% of the team’s total.
The Cowboys open the regular season Sept. 13 at the New York Giants. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
