ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bradley Chubb was the Miami Dolphins’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award last season, so he got to make his first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. He’d never been around that environment and felt that hype up close.
“It lit a fire,” said Chubb, standing in the Buffalo Bills’ practice facility at the end of mandatory minicamp.
“Seeing that, being around that, I know what to expect, you know what I mean? That’s in my mind ever since. That’s what I’m shooting for.”
Chubb was the Bills’ big-ticket, free-agent addition this offseason. He signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract in March after he got released by the Dolphins. Chubb had that Super Bowl moment in the front of mind when deciding where to play this season. Asked about the fact that he hasn’t played in a lot of playoff games in his career, Chubb interjected.
“One,” he said.
That one playoff game came with the Dolphins against the Bills in Orchard Park. The Bills won that game in January 2023, and Chubb hasn’t been back to the playoffs since. He missed the playoffs in each of his first four seasons with the Broncos, too.
“Hunger is through the roof, man,” Chubb said. “I talked to the team and said that’s my biggest goal is to win games. In the league, you start off young and first you want to get your feet under you, make a name for yourself. Then you want to get paid. And then the championship stuff comes down the line. But I’ve been in that mindset for a while. It just hasn’t happened for me unfortunately, but that’s what I’m here now for.”
Chubb is a few weeks away from his 30th birthday. He got married the weekend before Bills mandatory minicamp. And he’s spent the last few months getting used to a new team and a new city.
“It’s a lot of new since January, man,” Chubb said. “It’s all been happening.”
And yet, despite only being a Bill for a few months, Chubb already feels like an important leader on this team. When the Bills signed him, new coach Joe Brady mentioned that Chubb being a captain was a big piece of the evaluation.
“When we evaluated him, that ‘C’ on his chest was important to me,” Brady said. “But I wanted to know was he a captain because he was their best player, or because of everything else that comes with it? … He has alpha traits. He’s a leader. Guys follow him.”
Walking off that field at minicamp Thursday, Chubb had a crowd of players around him chatting. A month after Chubb signed, the Bills drafted another pass rusher, T.J. Parker at No. 35. Rather than feel threatened by the presence of someone who could eat into his snap count, Chubb has quickly taken on the role of mentor. When Parker mentioned to Chubb that he was planning to head back to Clemson to train during the break between minicamp and training camp, Chubb had a better idea. He invited him down to Florida to train with him.
“It means a lot to me,” Parker said. “He doesn’t have to do that. He’s a veteran guy. He could go work out and train by himself. For him to invite me means a lot, and I really appreciate it.”
Parker’s already been hanging around Chubb trying to absorb as much information as possible. Chubb has two double-digit sack seasons on his resume and finished with 8.5 sacks last season in Miami after missing all of 2024 with a knee injury. After a few weeks of practice, Parker can see why Chubb has been able to maintain that type of productivity during his eight-year career.
“Everything from his footwork, the way he approaches it, the way he recovers his body,” Parker said. “He’s just so smart. Obviously he’s been in the league, going on year nine. He’s seen a lot. It’s unbelievable. There’s some things I see him do and I’m like, ‘Did you practice that or just know it off being a vet?’ He’s just an unbelievable guy and fun to be around.”
The Bills’ new defensive scheme is similar to the ones Chubb has played in throughout his career. It’s particularly similar to the one Chubb played in during his Denver days under Vance Joseph. That’s made the leadership come naturally to Chubb. He’s able to answer any questions his teammates have about what new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is installing. Chubb thinks that communication this time of year is important, because one of the keys to this defense is not overthinking.
“Not having those thoughts weigh you down,” Chubb said. “Just playing fast, playing physical, getting off the ball, putting fear in the tackle’s feet in the run and the pass game. … Just get off the ball and ask questions later. That’s been the main emphasis for us. I feel like that’s what we have to do for this defense to really amplify.”
Buffalo Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb (9), who signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the team in March, trains during minicamp. (Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
During this window of contention, the Bills’ defense has been a consistent regular-season unit that tends to take a step back in the playoffs. Bringing in Leonhard and changing the scheme is the biggest adjustment the Bills have made on that side of the ball in almost a decade. Chubb is clearly going to play a big part in that. But because of Parker, and Greg Rousseau on the other side, Chubb doesn’t necessarily have to be the savior the way Von Miller — and to a lesser extent — Joey Bosa were asked to be in past years.
Chubb, and this entire defense, will ultimately be judged in January, not June. Can he be the one to get this defense off the field in a key spot? Can the defense make enough stops to let Josh Allen and the offense take control of a game? Those seem like far-off questions, but they’re also the reason Chubb signed here.
“I’m not making any promises like we’re going to win the Super Bowl,” Chubb said. “But if everybody is in the right alignment, doing the things we know we can do, that’s the end goal and something I’m going to shoot for every day.”