Bradley Chubb eager to show Bills fans he's still an impact edge rusher
Chubb, 29, is looking forward to no longer having to chase Bills quarterback Josh Allen around the field. Instead, he is looking forward to watching opposing defenses tear their hair out doing the same.
A hectic few days of free agency ended for Bradley Chubb with exactly what he prioritized on the open market: a chance to win a Super Bowl.
The Bills’ newest edge rusher believes he’ll have that in Buffalo, which is why he agreed to a three-year contract this week. Chubb had interest on the open market from other teams, but chasing a ring led him to Western New York.
“I felt like this one presented the best opportunity to go out there and win,” he said Thursday on an introductory video conference call with Western New York media.
Former Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb is ready to chase a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Buffalo Bills.
Yuki Iwamura, Associated Press
Chubb’s opinion was formulated based on the up-close-and-personal look he has had at the Bills over the past three-plus seasons as a member of the Miami Dolphins. In that time, Miami beat the Bills just once, although the teams played a few close games, including in the 2022 postseason, shortly after Chubb arrived in South Florida after being traded from the Denver Broncos.
“It's about how close these guys are, how they just know how to win and pull out those close games,” he said. “I feel like that's what it takes to get to the big stage − a few pieces, and I feel like I'm one of those pieces to help us get over the hump.”
Chubb, 29, is looking forward to no longer having to chase Bills quarterback Josh Allen around the field. Instead, he is looking forward to watching opposing defenses tear their hair out doing the same.
“Whenever you have a guy like that manning the ship, I feel like everybody believes that they can win," Chubb said.
Former Dolphins outside linebacker Bradley Chubb is looking forward to not having to chase Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Derek Gee, Buffalo News
Chubb referenced that 2022 playoff game in discussing what makes Allen special. The Dolphins gave the Bills everything they had in a 34-31 loss. Chubb had one sack of Allen in the game, but said the belief that the QB instills in his teammates could be felt on the Miami sideline.
“I feel like y'all knew, y'all had (No.) 17,” he said. "When you got a guy like that, everybody buys in. Everybody knows, no matter what he's going through, he's going to give it his all and put it on the line for the team, and you can win like that.”
Chubb is expected to be a big part of the Bills’ reason for winning during the 2026 season. Exact details of his three-year contract have not yet been released, but it is expected to be worth more than $14 million annually.
That is a level of commitment that shows the Bills have faith he will continue to play at a high level entering his age-30 season. Chubb played 72% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps during the 2025 season. That came a year after missing all of 2024 because of a devastating right knee injury suffered during Week 17 of the 2023 season. On New Year’s Eve that year, Chubb tore the ACL, meniscus and patellar tendon in his right knee during a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
A team captain with the Dolphins, Chubb’s injury forced him to learn how to lead when he wasn’t on the field. He had been accustomed to doing that earlier in his career through his work ethic, showing teammates how to run to the football and how to never give up on a play. Not being able to sweat through practices with them meant Chubb took a step back and learned more about his teammates on a personal level.
Once he got back on the field in 2025, he had to prove to himself that his knee truly was healed. Although he started the year hot with sacks in four of Miami’s first five games, Chubb said it wasn’t until the middle of the season that he felt he hit his stride and that the injury was truly behind him.
“I feel like just want to pick back up where I left off,” he said. “Didn't have necessarily the stats I wanted to have last year, but I had to give myself grace. I understand that it was a year removed from not playing football for a whole year.”
Chubb still led Miami with 8½ sacks and 20 quarterback hits. Understandably, given the nature of his career, there is a healthy amount of skepticism that Chubb will be able to stay healthy. He missed 12 games during the 2019 season – his second in the NFL – after tearing the ACL in his left knee, and missed 10 games during the 2021 season because of an ankle injury that required surgery.
That has left a chip on his shoulder, he said Thursday.
“Every time I pop off and do what I'm supposed to do, it feels like something comes and gets me the following year,” he said. “I feel like that in (that) sense, (it) is frustrating because people can start doubting and throwing doubt, ‘Oh, he's not that. He's not this.’ I know what I can do. I know what I have left in the tank.”
Chubb took the glass-half-full view of his injuries, that being his mileage is low because he has missed so much time. He believes he has good football still in front of him, and is particularly excited about his fit in Buffalo’s defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard.
When Chubb entered the NFL in 2018 as the fifth overall draft pick by the Broncos, his first head coach was Vance Joseph, who the past two years has served as Denver’s defensive coordinator. Leonhard, of course, had been a member of Joseph’s staff before taking the job in Buffalo.
“It's kind of a match made in heaven, man,” Chubb said. “That's kind of what I came into the league doing, and I had success doing my first year. So, I'm excited to get back into the system. I know (Leonhard) is going to have his tweaks and do different things to it, but what he preached to me, man, was that it's just going to be the same. Getting after the quarterback, making sure we're covered in the back end, making sure we're up front, wreaking havoc and playing well, good team defense.”
