Gregory Rousseau (born April 5, 2000) is an American professional football outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Bills in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early life and college Born to Haitian parents from New York, Rousseau attended Champagnat Catholic School in Hialeah, Florida. He played defensive end, safety and wide receiver in high school. He committed to the University of Miami to play college football.

Rousseau played in the first two games of his true freshman year in 2018 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury and redshirted. He entered his redshirt freshman year in 2019, as a backup but eventually took over as starter later in the season. He was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 15.5 sacks that season, second in the nation behind only Chase Young's 16.5. He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professional career

Rousseau was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round (30th overall) in the 2021 NFL draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $11.37 million, on June 4, 2021.

During Week 2 of the 2021 season, Rousseau was nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week honors with five tackles, two sacks, and two tackles made behind the line of scrimmage. Rousseau recorded his first career interception on October 10, 2021, in a 38-20 Week 5 Sunday night win against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In his rookie season, Rousseau finished with four sacks, 50 total tackles, one interception, four passes defended, and one forced fumble.

In the 2022 season, he finished with eight sacks, 37 total tackles, four passes defended, and forced fumble in 13 games. His best performance of the year came in week 14 against the New York Jets, in which he recorded 2 sacks, including a forced fumble, and a pass defensed, contributing to a 20–12 Buffalo win one week after the team's leading pass rusher Von Miller suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.

On April 29, 2024, the Bills picked up the fifth-year option on Rousseau's contract. In Week 1, he recorded six tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in a 34-28 win over the Cardinals, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

On March 8, 2025, Rousseau signed a four-year $80 million contract extension with the Bills, with $54 million guaranteed.

Following head coach Sean McDermott's departure after the 2025 season, new head coach Joe Brady brought in defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who moved Rousseau from defensive end to outside linebacker as part of a transition to a 3–4 defense. In week 1 of the 2026 season, Rousseau recorded two strip-sacks on Houston Texans quarterback C. J. Stroud, including one that foiled a last-minute comeback attempt by the Texans and sealed the Bills' 36–31 victory, their first in Houston since 2006. In October, Rousseau was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September after leading the league in sacks during the first three games of the season.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles 2021 BUF 17 17 50 42 8 8 10 4.0 0 4 1 3 3.0 3 0 1 0 0 — 0 2022 BUF 13 13 37 27 10 10 14 8.0 0 4 0 0 — 0 0 1 0 0 — 0 2023 BUF 16 16 42 30 12 12 18 5.0 0 4 0 0 — 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2024 BUF 16 16 53 36 17 16 24 8.0 0 3 0 0 — 0 0 3 1 0 — 0 2025 BUF 16 16 46 24 22 6 23 7.0 0 2 0 0 — 0 0 1 0 0 — 0 2026 BUF 3 3 15 12 3 8 12 6.0 0 1 0 0 — 0 0 3 0 0 — 0 Career 81 81 243 171 72 60 101 38.0 0 18 1 3 3.0 3 0 10 2 0 0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles 2021 BUF 2 2 3 2 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2022 BUF 2 2 4 3 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2023 BUF 2 2 5 2 3 1 2 1.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2024 BUF 3 3 10 7 3 3 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2025 BUF 2 2 8 4 4 2 5 1.0 0 2 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 Career 11 11 30 18 12 6 10 4.0 0 2 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0

References

External links

Buffalo Bills bio Miami Hurricanes bio