Defensive end Mike Danna has sat on the free agent market since the Chiefs released him in late February. Buffalo, one of Kansas City’s AFC rivals, could be his next destination. Danna recently visited the Bills, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
A fifth-round pick in 2020, Danna spent the first six years of his career as a member of the Chiefs, with whom he won two Super Bowls. He emerged as a full-time starter in 2023, the Chiefs’ most recent title-winning campaign. Danna logged career highs in defensive snap share (74%), tackles (50), QB hits (13), TFL (seven) and sacks (6.5) over 16 games that year. He is now coming off a 15-game, 14-start season in which he registered 25 tackles, a sack and his first interception. Danna’s snap percentage dropped to 42%, the second-lowest mark of his career.
With a chance to save $8.94MM in cap space, the Chiefs deemed Danna expendable before the start of the new league year. The 6-foot-2, 260-pounder ended his KC tenure with 87 games, 49 starts and 21.5 sacks. He also chipped in a pair of playoff sacks, one of which came in the Chiefs’ 32-29 win over the Bills in a January 2025 AFC title game matchup.
If the 28-year-old Danna heads to Buffalo, he could join an edge defender contingent led by outside linebackers Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, second-round pick T.J. Parker and Michael Hoecht. While those four are locked in as the Bills’ top OLBs, there is less certainty at defensive end as the team transitions to a 3-4 base under new coordinator Jim Leonhard. Danna could provide an established option to join the likes of Ed Oliver, T.J. Sanders and Landon Jackson. Oliver is a proven commodity, but Sanders and Jackson offered minimal production during injury-shortened rookie seasons in 2025.