The Cleveland Browns and running back Nick Chubb reportedly have agreed on a reworked contract to lower his base of $11.775 million for the 2024 season, with the chance to earn it back with incentives, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Nick Chubb is obviously working back from a serious left knee injury that he suffered early in the 2023 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. He had a torn MCL and damaged ACL, so it is a long road to recovery, but the Browns are giving him that chance.
As a result of this reworked contract, Chubb's salary cap hit in 2024 will go from $15.85 million to $6.275 million, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Fowler confirmed that the number he will be able to earn up to with incentives is $12.2 million based on performance levels he had achieved prior to the injury.
Chubb's contract is up after the 2024 season, so he will likely hit free agency after this year. He is going into his age 29 season with the Browns, and coming off of an injury, he will want to set himself up to get another good contract going into 2025. Approaching 30 years old as a running back coming off of a serious injury will likely make some teams skeptical, but a big year in 2024 would dampen some concerns. It is worth noting that Chubb suffered a serious injury while in college playing at the Georgia football program as well, but came back strong after that and eventually became one of the best rushers in the NFL.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see if Chubb can reach the incentives to earn that $12.2 million, and what the Browns will do if he has a strong 2024 season.
Nick Chubb's Browns career
The Browns selected Chubb in the 2018 season, pairing him with fellow rookie Baker Mayfield, and the two brought excitement to a franchise that did not have much of that. Chubb rushed for just under 1000 yards that season.
The next season, Chubb rushed for just under 1,500 yards and eight touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference, taking the leap into being one of the best runners in the league. In 2020, he helped the Browns get back to the playoffs, rushing for just over 1,000 yards in 12 games. In 2021, he rushed for over 1,200 yards in 14 games, and then rushed for over 1,500 yards in 2022. He was still going strong going into the 2023 season, but then he suffered that tough injury in Week 2.
It will be worth monitoring Chubb's status throughout the offseason to see if and when he is able to return to practice and play games. It would be a remarkable recovery if he came back, was able to play in Week 1 and returned to the form we saw before his injury.
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