Buffalo Bills Dareus was selected with the third overall pick in the
2011 NFL draft by the
Buffalo Bills on April 28, 2011. He was the highest selected defensive lineman in Crimson Tide history, and the highest selected Alabama defensive player since linebacker
Cornelius Bennett was drafted second overall by the
Indianapolis Colts in
1987. On April 29, the day after the first round, the Bills announced that Dareus would wear jersey #99. On July 29, 2011, Dareus signed a four-year deal with the Bills worth $20.4 million. Dareus started all sixteen games and, despite suffering injuries to his shoulder and hand during the season, registered 5.5 sacks, the most for a Bills rookie since
Aaron Schobel. In 2011, Dareus became a member of
School of the Legends (SOTL), an official partner of the
NFLPA. In 2012, Dareus was excused from the team after his younger brother was shot and killed. He finished the 2012 season with 5.5 sacks, 39 total tackles, and six passes defended in 16 games and starts. Dareus was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2013 as an injury replacement for
Justin Smith of the
San Francisco 49ers. He recorded 7.5 sacks and a career high 46 tackles that season. He was ranked 62nd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2014. Despite offseason troubles, Dareus continued his success in the 2014 season. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 5 with three sacks and a forced fumble against
Detroit. He recorded 35 tackles, with 10.0 sacks under new defensive coordinator
Jim Schwartz's defense as part of Buffalo's "Cold Front" defensive line, garnering another Pro Bowl appearance and being named to the All-Pro first-team for the first time in his career. His ten sacks led all defensive tackles for that season. He was ranked 53rd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2015. On May 21, 2015, it was announced that Dareus would be suspended from the first game of the 2015 season, due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. On September 10, 2015, the Bills signed Dareus to a six-year contract extension that could reach $95.1 million with incentives, the contract also included $60 million in guaranteed money. With this contract, Dareus had the most guaranteed money in the
NFL for a non-quarterback. He finished the 2015 season with two sacks and 51 total tackles. On August 16, 2016, it was reported that Dareus was facing a four-game suspension due to his second violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. In the 2016 season, he appeared in eight games and recorded 3.5 sacks, 39 total tackles, and one pass defended.
Jacksonville Jaguars On October 27, 2017, Dareus was traded to the
Jacksonville Jaguars for a conditional 2018 sixth-round draft pick, which became a 5th round pick that was used to select
Wyatt Teller. He was reunited with head coach
Doug Marrone, who was his former head coach with the Buffalo Bills. In the 2017 season, he appeared in 14 games, five with the Bills and nine with the Jaguars. He recorded 28 total tackles, three tackles-for-loss, and three quarterback hits. In the postseason, he had four combined tackles in the
Wild Card Round victory over the
Buffalo Bills. In the
Divisional Round win over the
Pittsburgh Steelers, he had one tackles and one quarterback hit. In the
AFC Championship loss to the
New England Patriots, he had five combined tackles and one quarterback hit. In the 2018 season, Dareus played in and started 15 games. He recorded 32 combined tackles, two quarterback hits, one sack, one pass defensed, one forced fumble, and one safety (which came against the
New York Jets in Week 4 when he tackled
Isaiah Crowell in the endzone). On October 25, 2019, Dareus was placed on injured reserve after undergoing core muscle surgery. On February 24, 2020, the Jaguars declined the option on Dareus' contract, making him a free agent. ==Career statistics==