Bradley Chubb, the veteran edge rusher who returned from a torn ACL to play all 17 games for Miami in 2025, is now headed to Buffalo. The 29-year-old signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday, with the deal carrying a maximum value of $52.5 million and $29 million guaranteed.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news Wednesday, citing Chubb’s agent, Erik Burkhardt of Roc Nation Sports. The Dolphins had designated Chubb a post-June 1 release, clearing $20.23 million in cap space for a franchise making wholesale changes. Chubb who was carrying a $31 million-plus cap hit in Miami’s books for 2026, did not last long on the open market.
Chubb’s 2025 Bounce-Back Season Earned Him a Second Big Contract at 29
The first-round draft history here is worth knowing. The Denver Broncos selected Chubb with the fifth overall pick in 2018, two spots after quarterback Josh Allen. He posted 12 sacks in his rookie year, then hit a stretch of ACL and injury setbacks that interrupted his Broncos tenure.
Former Dolphins DE Bradley Chubb reached agreement on a three-year, $43.5 million deal worth up to $52.5 million that includes $29 million guaranteed with the Buffalo Bills, per @ErikBurkhardt of @RocNationSports. pic.twitter.com/4tIgKndmpy
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2026
The Dolphins acquired Chubb via trade at the 2022 deadline, sending a first-round pick to Denver. Miami signed him to a five-year, $110 million extension almost immediately. In his first full season with the Dolphins in 2023, Chubb recorded 11 sacks before tearing his ACL, meniscus, and patellar tendon in Week 17. He missed all of 2024.
The full 2025 season was his answer to all of that. Chubb appeared in all 17 games, logging 766 defensive snaps, 8.5 sacks, 47 tackles, and two forced fumbles. He played 72 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps, a workload that would have felt like speculation two years ago.
ESPN noted that his 10.5 percent pressure rate ranked third highest of his career in 2025, though he was double-teamed on a career-high 23.1 percent of his pass rushes, which kept his overall pass rush win rate down. Through 90 career games, he has 48 sacks and 15 forced fumbles.
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Nov 2, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb at press conference at the PSD Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Buffalo’s New Defensive System Now Has a Known Commodity Alongside Greg Rousseau
The Bills spent last season with pass rusher Joey Bosa, the 30-year-old California native, on a one-year, $12.6 million deal. Bosa recorded five sacks and led the NFL with five forced fumbles in 2025, but his production faded in the second half of the year and he contributed very little in the playoffs.
The front office did not bring him back. Per Pro Football Rumors, the Chubb signing signals Bosa is likely headed elsewhere in free agency.
Buffalo is now building a pass rush around a new scheme. The Bills hired Jim Leonhard as defensive coordinator this offseason, switching from the even-front base nickel that defined the Sean McDermott era to an odd-front, more aggressive system. Leonhard’s defense is expected to demand more from its edge players.
Miami Dolphins, Bradley Chubb
Oct 22, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Rousseau, the Bills’ 2021 first-round pick out of the University of Miami, posted five sacks in 2025 and projects as the other starting edge in the new scheme. Buffalo Rumblings characterized Rousseau as more of a run defender, which makes Chubb’s role as the unit’s pure pass rush presence fairly clear.
At $14.5 million annually, the Bills got a player who finished the 2025 season healthy and productive without paying the premium Miami’s $31 million cap figure represented.
The question entering 2026 is whether Chubb’s pressure numbers hold when defenses don’t need to double-team him at the same rate, which is a real possibility opposite Rousseau in Leonhard’s system.