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Bills, veteran OLB Leonard Floyd agree to 1-year deal worth up to $9 million

The Buffalo Bills didn't have depth on their side when pass rusher Von Miller tore his ACL last season. Now the team is turning to one of his former teammates, agreeing to terms with outside linebacker Leonard Floyd on a one-year deal, the team confirmed Tuesday. The deal is worth $7 million with sack incentives that can push it to $9 million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The 30-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He recorded 29 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in that span. He notched nine sacks this season and 10.5 sacks in 2020 when he first joined the team.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 25: Leonard Floyd #54 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts to a play during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Leonard Floyd is headed to Buffalo. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

The move to add Floyd late in free agency comes after the Bills didn't add to their defensive line during the draft in April. Instead, the team signed defensive tackle Poona Ford to a one-year, $2.25 million deal in May. Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver also recently agreed on a four-year, $68 million extension, which the team made official on Monday.

Miller is expected to need at least nine months to recover from his ACL injury, which puts Floyd in position to fill his absence and add an extra edge when he returns. The pair won Super Bowl LVI together at the end of the 2021 season while playing for the Rams, with Floyd recording five tackles and a sack in the win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Current Bills pass rushers A.J. Epenesa, Gregory Rousseau, Shaq Lawson and Boogie Basham will likely benefit from the additional experience and championship expertise.

Floyd, a former Georgia Bulldog, was released by the Rams earlier this offseason. In his time there, he had at least nine sacks, seven tackles for loss and 18 quarterback hits per season. Before that, he was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the No. 9 overall pick in 2016. He spent the first four years of his career there. Across his entire career, he has 47.5 sacks, 103 quarterback hits, 338 tackles, and three forced fumbles.