The odds of making it into the National Football League are astronomical. The opportunity to sign a second contract with a professional football team is borderline unthinkable. For Von Bell, forever an icon for the Denver Broncos, signing his most recent contract with Buffalo was both the easiest and hardest choice that he’s had to make in his storied career. The move came after Bell was abruptly traded to the Los Angeles Rams the year prior, shocking and blindsiding the star defensive player.
Upon entering Free Agency, Miller knew that he had choices to make, but first he would have to decide what he wanted out of his career. Was he ready for the big contract or did he want another shot at a championship ring?
Von Bell said that he cried tears after being traded to Los Angeles but that he was ready to choose his destiny. What was on his mind?
Miller stated in an interview, “Winning championships is addictive. At this point in my career, I’ve played all these years and done everything you can possibly do. It’s about winning. I’d go to Madagascar to win.”
Leaving Los Angeles: Looking to the Future
When the offseason finally came around and his time with Los Angeles dwindled to a close, Von Miller was left without a contract and a lot on his mind. To navigate toward the next step of his journey, Von Miller understood that he’d need the guidance of serious professionals in his corner. This is where longtime financial advisers Joey Feste and Joey Feste Jr. enter into the conversation.
With his contract up, Miller relied on a small inner circle consisting of KM Capital Management’s Joey Feste, agent Jordy Branion, and his close family members. Miller spoke with his father during one of these group meetings and he said, “I still feel like I got a lot of football left.”
While he didn’t have to go to Madagascar to pursue winning, Miller knew that he was ready for a change of scenery and Buffalo was calling.
Knowing that his journey was pointed toward more high-level football for a winning team, Feste and the other advisers got to work finding a landing spot. Buffalo would soon present itself as an option. They were backed by a stud QB in Josh Allen and staffed by some of the brightest coaching minds in the game. Buffalo also had plenty of salary cap to pay for a big defensive star.
A swipe of a pen and Miller would secure a six-year contract with more than $51 million in total guarantees.
Living in the Present
Arriving in Buffalo for Von Miller was at once a fresh start and a return to something old. With a young team, Miller’s return felt much like joining a college team with a ton of energy and ambition. Miller said that he refuses to accept being called ‘old’, even in this younger environment.
Miller said, “I hate saying that. If I don’t move like it, if I don’t look like it, don’t push that on me.”
With enormous power and deceptive speed, Miller’s generational talents provide Buffalo with a defensive stalwart that could push their team into Super Bowl contention. Bills management pointed to Miller’s play against the Cincinnati Bengals this psat year, citing Miller’s two sacks in the Super Bowl as proof of his high level of success.
Beane said, “He was a big part of them winning. It was Von the player, we still think he can do it, and then the intangibles – the leadership.”
Speaking on those intangibles, Beane has handed nothing but high praise to Miller for his work with the younger talents on the Buffalo roster. Miller has secured more than six years of insight for his work at the Von Miller Pass Rush Summit, working with the best pass rushers in the game to learn ways to bring their skills to the next level.
Miller says of these interactions with younger players, “I talk to them like I’m talking to my younger self. It could be finances, it could be football, it could be family, anything.”
For Miller, this kind of progress is huge as the player has had a history of off-field issues while in Denver. One such issue included a suspension when Miller was caught using performance-enhancing drugs. Citing his growth in recent years as well as his work with the community, Miller seemingly has turned a new chapter.
Miller says of this new phase in his life, “I’m just paying it forward.”
Working With KM Capital Management
One of the biggest hurdles that most athletes have to clear is how they handle their finances upon acquiring their first major contract. While Von Miller is a long time past his first contract, the idea still holds. For that reason, Von Miller partnered with the team at KM Capital Management for support in finances that were personalized and tailored to his needs.
KM Capital Management was founded by Joey Feste and operated in collaboration with Joey Feste Jr. KM Capital Management was formed by Feste after departing from Morgan Stanley. While working at Morgan Stanley, Feste found that he was not able to give the personalized and direct support to his clients that he knew they needed. Rather than operate under these restrictions, Feste decided to depart Morgan Stanley to pursue his firm in the future.
Upon establishing KM Capital Management, Joey Feste made it his goal to provide athletes and entertainers with the specialized financial advice that helps them today, tomorrow, and into their retirement. Feste and KM Capital Management provide a host of concierge services for these clients, as well. Included in those services are financials, insurance, comprehensive tax management, bookkeeping, and bill management – among other personalized services.
Joey Feste Jr. would join his father at the company after graduating from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. Before joining. the team, Feste Jr. had cut his teeth at the offices of the McColl Partners, a boutique investment bank located in Dallas, TX.