Why now was time for Las Vegas Raiders to extend Kolton Miller who’s key to Derek Carr’s success
Las Vegas Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller met with the media through a Zoom teleconference after he signed his multi-year extension Friday, eager to continue to show he’s a wise investment.
The contract is believed to be for three years and worth more than $18 million. It’s an important deal to get done because he’s not just another offensive lineman, not when he’s charged with protecting the team’s most critical asset in quarterback Derek Carr.
And never mind the dollar figures nor whether he’ll be content now that his immediate future is secured. Watching and listening closely to Miller, you can tell he is ready for the 2021 season and determined to only get better at his craft.
He is all business and about showing the Raiders made the right choice when they took the Roseville native in the first round (15th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft out of UCLA.
“What I wanted to prove most was to my coaches, to my teammates, to the fans ... to really invest and improve myself as much as I can to be their left tackle, to protect DC,” Miller said.
The 6-foot-8 Miller got the nod as the starting left tackle in his rookie season. While it didn’t go the way he had hoped because of injuries, Miller turned it into a valuable lesson as his NFL career progressed.
It has shown the past couple of seasons, as his play improved, and he’s eyeing even bigger and better results.
“Just the mentality of taking it day at a time,” he said. “I know there (was) adversity my rookie season. I struggled with injuries, and of course being a starter straight out of college. I took it day-by-day and proved as much as I can.
“I’m going to continue to improve. I’m going to get stronger and improve my technique. It doesn’t stop here. I took that mentality and it’s really helped me along the way.”
Learning from Hudson and goals
Miller said he learned a lot from former teammate Rodney Hudson, who in March was traded to the Arizona Cardinals.
Miller picked the Pro Bowl center’s brain to learn the fundamentals of playing offensive line in the NFL.
But it wasn’t just Miller to whom Hudson gave pointers. It was also Andre James, who also earned a contract extension this offseason.
“He was a huge help from my rookie year to this past year,” Miller said. “He’s really taught (James) the ropes, and I’m really excited for Andre and this opportunity, too. I work with him every day and I feel confident about what he can do. I think we have a good group ahead of us. We’re going to continue to work hard together and invest and trust (assistant) Tom Cable.
“I try to lead by example and I just try to do the best I can to teach these (young) guys. I think that was the biggest lesson I learned as a rookie: learn from the older guys, and I just took that and carry that to the younger guys. I’m really excited to take this team to the next level and I’m going to do all I can to do that.”
Looking ahead
Since entering the league in 2018, Miller has started 46 games — including all 16 in both 2018 and 2019. He missed two games last season.
His snap count total is now 2,987.
Miller has proven to a be a reliable left tackle who keeps getting better — a valuable commodity at any level of football.
It only made sense for the Raiders to reward Miller with an extension.
He sees a bright future for the franchise as it heads into its second season in Las Vegas. He believes coaches, players and fans saw a glimpse of that last season when the Raiders finished 8-8 but were in playoff contention for most of the year.
“We’re continuing to build,” Miller said. “I thought we made great strides last year, but obviously times change. Like this year, things got moved around a lot (via free agency and trades) and it happens with teams. I feel really confident in our group and steps moving forward. I have the utmost confidence in the staff. I’m going along for the ride and I’m for it.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 4:24 PM.
