Nick Chubb, much to his credit and misfortune, always seemed like a Cleveland Browns player for life. Not because he personified what a Brown was to the outside world, but because of his integrity and loyalty. If they did right by him, the team that drafted him, he would do right by them.
Well, seven years into his career, it’s not clear where things are going. Chubb suffered a major knee injury in 2023, and he didn’t look all the way back in his limited playing time a year ago. And unfortunately for the Browns, you can’t pay a player in loyalty. You have to pay them in money, and that money has a salary cap tied to it. Basically, they have already acknowledged this may be the end of the road.
Nick Chubb hopes that it’s not. The Browns don’t have the brightest future on the horizon, but he wants to be a part of whatever is next. He told the Akron Beacon Journal that “Of course” he hopes to re-sign there. “This is where I was drafted. This is where I’ve played the last seven years”.
But, writes Chris Easterling, Chubb also acknowledged he has had no contract discussions with the Browns. While Cleveland may have a $72 million anchor still tied round its neck named Deshaun Watson, scrounging up the money to pay their most likeable and most popular player may be tough to do.
A 2018 third-round pick, Nick Chubb was arguably the best pure runner in the NFL prior to his injury. While Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley dominated this past season, and had done so in the past, the Browns had a true thoroughbred stud.
Over his first five seasons, Chubb rushed for 6,341 yards on 1,210 attempts for a 5.2-yard average in 75 games. He scored 48 touchdowns on the ground and went to four Pro Bowls. Then, in the Browns’ second game of 2023, his knee made the unfortunate acquaintance of Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Chubb missed the remainder of the 2023 season, and only returned to the field in the second half of the 2024 season. In eight games, he rushed for just 332 yards on 102 attempts with three touchdowns. It marked the first time in his career that he averaged under five yards per carry in a season. The Browns have no compelling reason to believe he would return to form if re-signed for 2025.
“I’m not sure how it’ll work. This is the first time I’ve been a free agent. But I’d like to get it done sooner than later”, Nick Chubb said of his hopes of re-signing with the Browns. He added that the Browns’ hometown of Cleveland will “always [have] a special place to me in my heart. I loved it here and it will always be home, no matter what”.
Chubb will turn 30 years old during the 2025 season. With two years of little or ineffective production, it’s hard to say he will have a robust market. Considering the Browns don’t actually have another starting-quality running back, they may default to him at a deflated price.
