Source: Chiefs re-signing LB Nick Bolton to 3-year, $45M deal
Linebacker Nick Bolton is re-signing with the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year, $45 million deal, including $30 million fully guaranteed at signing, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.
Bolton, 24, started 16 games this past regular season, registering 106 tackles and recording a career-high three sacks. He then started all three games in the postseason, recording 20 tackles.
He joined the Chiefs in 2021 as a second-round draft pick out of Missouri. He became an immediate contributor, starting 12 games as a rookie and finishing with 112 tackles.
Bolton became a full-time starter in 2022, and made 180 tackles, with two sacks and two interceptions in the regular season. His signature play that season was a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2023, Bolton missed nine games because of a wrist injury but still had a team-high 40 tackles in four postseason games, including 13 in Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
Bills linebacker Von Miller secures a $1.5 million bonus after his sack of Drake Maye meets his contract incentive. (0:21)
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Bills on Sunday released pass rusher Von Miller ahead of the league year.
The move opens up $8.4 million in cap space, helping the team to get under the cap before the new league year, which starts Wednesday.
The team is open to bringing back Miller, who turns 36 on March 26, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bills thanked Miller for his three seasons with the team when announcing his release.
The move gives the Bills $15.4 million in dead cap money for this year. Miller was under contract through 2027.
Miller was set to account for the second-most cap space on the roster ($23.9 million) only behind quarterback Josh Allen.
Releasing Miller comes after the Bills signed defensive end Greg Rousseau to a four-year extension Saturday. Sources told Schefter the extension, worth $80 million, includes $54 million guaranteed. The position remains a need for the team this offseason.
Miller’s time with the Bills has been anything but smooth. The pass rusher signed a six-year deal worth $120 million in the 2022 offseason. After a good start that included eight sacks in 11 games, he suffered a major right ACL injury on Nov. 24, 2022. Miller stated during training camp in 2024 that he “probably should not have played” in 2023 because of the injury. He finished the 2023 season playing in 12 games and recording zero sacks and three tackles.
He restructured his contract last offseason, taking a pay cut and saving the Bills $8.645 million in cap space.
“Last year at this time, we were working on a restructure for him, and he did something unprecedented,” general manager Brandon Beane said at the NFL scouting combine. “… He took a pay cut below his actual guarantee. And you’re talking about a first-ballot Hall of Famer that did that. So, a lot of respect for what he did to come back and try and help us chase this trophy. And I thought as the year went on, he continued to show that he could still play.”
Miller was then suspended four games (Weeks 5-8) for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, stemming from allegations of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in suburban Dallas during the Bills’ bye week in 2023. He turned himself in to the police and soon after was released on bond. The case was later closed, and charges were never filed. The NFL conducted a separate investigation.
The two-time Super Bowl champion had a solid season in 2024 as part of the team’s defensive line rotation, recording six regular-season sacks. Miller did not play more than 21 snaps in any of the Bills’ three playoff games, including 16 in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He had 14 sacks overall in three seasons and 23 quarterback hits.
Drafted No. 2 overall by the Broncos in 2011, Miller went on to be named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and had 110 sacks in 10 seasons with Denver.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro, he has 129.5 sacks in 14 NFL seasons. He won Super Bowls with the Broncos (2015) and in his one season with the Los Angeles Rams (2021) and had nine sacks combined during those two postseasons.
Miller ranks 16th all-time with his 129.5 sacks, the most since he came into the league.
The Detroit Lions plan to release veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Sunday.
The Lions talked about options over the past week, but a $2 million roster bonus due Friday spurred the action, the source told Fowler.
Smith wrote “Thank you Detroit” on his Instagram page after the news, sharing photos from his Lions tenure.
Smith finished with nine sacks last season — four with the Lions — playing a pivotal role on Detroit’s defense after the team lost Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson in Week 6 to a fractured tibia and fibula.
He was traded to the Lions in November along with a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Cleveland Browns for a 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick, helping the Detroit defense stay afloat during the team’s record-setting 15-win season where it earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the postseason for the first time.
Smith, 32, is a three-time Pro Bowler with 69 career sacks over 10 seasons with the Lions, Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. In 2020, he also earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Smith was selected in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2015 NFL draft out of Kentucky by the Ravens.
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LB Nick Bolton staying in Kansas City on three-year deal
Nick Bolton won’t become a free agent after all.
The Chiefs linebacker has agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with $30 million fully guaranteed at signing to remain in Kansas City, according to multiple reports.
He was scheduled to become a free agent this week after playing out his rookie deal and was ranked ninth on PFT’s top-100 free agents list.
Bolton, who turns 25 on Monday, has started 53 of the 57 games he has played since the Chiefs drafted him in the second round in 2021.
In his career, Bolton has totaled 458 tackles, five sacks, 32 tackles for loss, 32 quarterback hits, four interceptions, 15 passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
He played the second-most snaps of his career last season with his 941 behind only the 1,119 he played in 2022.
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Chiefs bring back starting linebacker Nick Bolton on $45 million contract
The Chiefs have secured a key component of their defense by re-signing linebacker Nick Bolton to a three-year, $45 million contract, with $30 million guaranteed.
This comes as the Chiefs aim to retool their defense following another Super Bowl appearance last season, according to ESPN.
Since being selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Bolton has been instrumental in the Chiefs’ defensive prowess, which has continually been a leading factor in their dominance.
Bolton emerged immediately, leading the team with 112 tackles and earning a reputation as a quality run-stopper as a rookie starter.
Over the past four seasons, Bolton has accumulated 458 tackles, including a franchise-record 180 in 2022.
The consistent performance from the Missouri product has solidified his role as a central figure in the Chiefs’ defense.
His new contract is worth $15 million per year, positioning Bolton among the top-paid inside linebackers in the NFL.
Bolton has started 53 of his 57 NFL appearances, recording five sacks and four interceptions with two forced fumbles.
Bolton ran back a fumble recovery for an 86-yard touchdown as a rookie.
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The two-time Super Bowl champion also ran back a 36-yard Jalen Hurts fumble for a touchdown in the Chiefs 2023 Super Bowl win against the Eagles.
The Chiefs failed to secure a historic Super Bowl three-peat this season, falling to those same Eagles, 40-22.
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