As the likes of Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, James Conner and Aaron Jones are showing, third-contract running backs can bring quality value to teams. Nick Chubb will be looking for his third deal in 2025, but the Browns running back has not been part of this year’s veteran running back renaissance.

It took half the season for Chubb to debut after a 2023 ACL tear, and he did so after accepting a sizable pay cut. The stalwart Cleveland RB will not finish the season, either, having suffered a broken foot in Week 15. Despite the offseason reduction and the two major injuries sustained over the past two seasons, the Browns-Chubb partnership does not look to be over.

Before his foot injury, Chubb expressed interest in re-signing with the Browns. The feeling is mutual, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones indicating a “strong belief” exists the Browns want Chubb back as well. This is both for ability and culture reasons, per Jones, as the seventh-year running back has been a team leader for a while now. Considering the mistake the Browns made with Deshaun Watson, keeping a well-regarded cornerstone around would not be the worst idea for a team in an unusual situation.

It is worth noting Jones’ assessment of this situation came hours before Chubb’s foot injury, but Kevin Stefanski said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) the Browns do not believe Chubb will need surgery. This would be a break for a player who needed two knee operations to address his severe injury. Chubb spent this offseason rehabbing, and the team hopes he can focus only on training — provided this foot matter does clear up without surgery — in 2025.

Chubb is in the final weeks of a three-year, $36.6MM deal, one he agreed to during the 2021 offseason (and one he adjusted in April). The Browns partially benefited from that pact, but for the most part, it did not provide the kind of value the team hoped. Chubb delivered a second-team All-Pro season in 2022, the first extension year, but went down with ACL, MCL and meniscus damage in Week 2 of last season. Upon return this year, the perennial Pro Bowler did not quite look himself.

Never averaging fewer than five yards per carry from 2018-23, Chubb posted a mere 3.3-yard number this season. He finished his seventh season with 321 rushing yards and three touchdowns, adding another receiving score. Chubb has four 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, including three 1,200-yard years, and played a central role in the Browns snapping their near-20-year playoff drought in 2020.

Considering Chubb’s form this season, he is not hitting free agency with momentum. Although teams will undoubtedly consider his earlier years when evaluating potential offers, Chubb’s injuries and shaky form when on the field this season may well lead to teams viewing him as being in a different stage of his career. That would probably allow the Browns to make a team-friendly proposal to keep their popular back.

Chubb will turn 29 next week. Cleveland’s current starter, Jerome Ford, is signed through the 2025 season on a fifth-round deal. Whether the team turns back to Chubb or pivots toward another veteran to team with Ford, help will be needed — potentially via the draft due to Ford’s contract situation and Watson’s albatross contract.

Nick Chubb‘s return to action in 2024 has proven to be short-lived. The Browns running back left Sunday’s game on crutches while wearing a walking boot, and now, he will not be available for the final three games of the campaign.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Chubb suffered a broken foot during the Browns’ Week 15 loss that will shut him down for the remainder of the season, one which offered optimism from a health perspective given his return to action in October. While the four-time Pro Bowler managed to heal from the major knee injury he suffered in 2023, his display upon being activated was not in line with his previous production.

Chubb had handled a notable workload heading into Sunday’s game, handling double-digit carries all but once in his seven appearances on the year. He managed to score three touchdowns on the ground over that span, but his 3.1 yards per attempt average represented by far the lowest of his career. That inefficiency is understandable given the nature of Chubb’s injury and the absences Cleveland has dealt with up front, but it could have an impact on his future with the organization.

While the immediate damage is to the Browns’ 2024 season, a season in which they’ve already been eliminated from the postseason, the eventual damage could come as Chubb seeks a new contract. After missing most of 2023, Chubb was heading into 2024 on the last year of a three-year extension. In fact, Chubb even accepted a pay cut in order to remain in Cleveland this season.

With free agency on the horizon and the injuries starting to compound, Chubb could find difficulty getting a new deal. Any team that signs him will want to do so on a reduced deal because of his recent injury history.

His best chance may be to re-sign with the Browns, a team that knows what he can do and may be more willing to work with him as he comes back from injury. Cleveland, though, may be looking to get new, young talent in the running backs room, along with a hometown discount in order to retain Chubb. The 28-year-old has already expressed interest in re-signing with the Browns and may be open to getting creative in order to make a reunion happen.

For now, though, the focus will be on recovery. Chubb will get off his feet, which should help make sure that by the time his foot is healed his knee may be closer to full health, as well. His free agency will depend upon just how healthy he can get, so his future in the NFL starts tomorrow with healing.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Browns running back Nick Chubb is set to be a free agent after this season, but he has every desire to stay in Cleveland for the rest of his career.

“I started here. I’d like to finish here,” said Chubb via Cleveland.com’s Dan Labbe. “Cleveland just means a lot to me. Everything we’ve been through, ups and downs, but I’m proud to be drafted here.”

Chubb agreed to a revised contract with the Browns this offseason as he worked his way back from last year’s knee injury. He’s managed just 291 yards and three touchdowns on 93 rushing attempts in his seven appearances this year, indicating that he’s still working his way back to his previous Pro Bowl form. Chubb will also turn 29 on December 27; combined, those two factors could complicate negotiations with the Browns.

Cleveland still has to figure out a plan for Deshaun Watson‘s fully-guaranteed contract. Absorbing a massive dead cap hit in 2025 could hinder their ability to keep in-house free agents like Chubb. After taking a pay cut this year, he may be looking to cash in on what could be the last big contract of his career.

The Browns haven’t gotten much production out of their other running backs this year. Jerome Ford, D’Onta Foreman, and Pierre Strong have combined for fewer than 600 rushing yards and just one rushing touchdown. Whether it’s Chubb, an external free agent, or a draft pick, the Browns will need to figure out a new plan for their backfield in 2025.

Chubb is not the only notable Browns player to publicly state that he wants to remain in Cleveland after his contract expires. Jameis Winston also wants to stick around, indicating that the Browns have maintained a cohesive organizational culture despite the turmoil surrounding the franchise since their ill-fated acquisition of Watson in 2022.

OCTOBER 16: In a Players’ Tribune essay, Chubb pointed to this timeline being accurate. The seventh-year running back is planning on debuting in Week 7. The Browns appear set to activate the Pro Bowl back from the PUP list before their matchup with the Bengals.

OCTOBER 13: Nick Chubb returned to practice when first eligible, a positive sign with respect to his rehab process. The standout Browns running back now has a firm target to make his 2024 debut.

Chubb is expected play in Week 7, as first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The Browns opened his 21-day activation window on October 2, and to no surprise the team has elected to remain patient in evaluating his practice showings. No setbacks have occurred, though, positioning Chubb to suit up against the Bengals seven days from now. A separate Cabot piece notes the 28-year-old will have the final say on when he suits up in a game setting.

After a major knee injury suffered in Week 2 last year, Chubb underwent two separate procedures as part of his recovery process. Cleveland remained committed to the four-time Pro Bowler, but team and player agreed to a restructured contract in the offseason which saw Chubb take a pay cut. He is also a pending free agent as a result of that agreement, so his ability to return to his previous form will be critical for his short- and long-term future.

The Browns entered Sunday ranked 30th in the NFL in rushing yards per game, and their offense as a whole has struggled mightily this season. Cleveland has been held under 20 points in each of the team’s first six games, becoming the first team to do so in a decade (h/t ESPN’s Field Yates). Getting Chubb back could provide a major boost in the backfield.

Jerome Ford took over as RB1 after Chubb went down last year, and he has remined a key figure on offense in 2024. The former fifth-rounder exited today’s contest due to a hamstring injury, however, so any missed time would leave Cleveland thin in the backfield. That would add further value to Chubb’s return, something which will be confirmed once he is brought off the reserve/PUP list. Doing so will not count toward the Browns’ in-season activation total, which currently sits at four and will drop by one when fellow back Nyheim Hines returns from the NFI list.

Chubb recorded between 1,067 and 1,525 yards each season from 2019-22, averaging no fewer than 5.0 yards per carry during that span. Remaining among the league’s most efficient rushers upon return would pay considerable dividends for the Browns as they look to rebound from a 1-5 record. Likewise, Chubb’s market value would move in a positive direction if he were to regain his Pro Bowl form once he is back on the field. Provided the coming days of practice go as planned, he should be available for Cleveland’s next contest.

Nick Chubb is expected to play at some point in 2024, but he will not be available at the start of the campaign. The Browns will keep him on the PUP list in September, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

This moves comes as little surprise, but it guarantees the Pro Bowl running back will miss at least the first four games of the season. Chubb has made progress in rehabbing the major knee injury which ended his 2023 campaign and required two operations to repair. As expected, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports recently confirmed Cleveland will opt for a slow ramp-up period once Chubb is available to practice.

The Browns put an end to speculation about the 28-year-old’s future by restructuring his contract this offseason. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes, that revised pact includes a roster bonus, something which generally requires a player remaining healthy for all 17 games. In this instance, however, only 12 games are needed for Chubb to collect that $225K payment. The Georgia alum took a pay cut as a result of the restructure, but incentives are in place which will allow him to earn back at least some of the money he was originally owed.

Cleveland will move forward with Jerome Ford atop the running back depth chart for the time being after he took over RB1 duties following Chubb’s injury. Nyheim Hines was added in free agency as a pass-catching option and returner, while Pierre Strong Jr. and D’Onta Foreman are also in place as backups. It remains to be seen if both Strong and Foreman will survive roster cuts, but the fact Chubb will receive the reserve/PUP designation certainly helps their chances of doing so.

As a pending free agent, Chubb has plenty at stake in 2024. His ability to return to his previous form (5.3 yards per carry average, including at least 5.0 in each of his six seasons) will be a key storyline to watch for himself personally and the Browns as a whole. Cleveland’s offense now features Jerry Jeudy in the receiving corps, and a full season from quarterback Deshaun Watson could offer potential in the passing game. The team’s offense will nevertheless welcome Chubb back into the fold, but he will take the field no earlier than Week 5.