The Cleveland Browns are trudging through yet another lost season, one that might spell the end of an era for the franchise and one of its best players ever.
Running back Nick Chubb returned to the football field earlier in the year after more than 13 months sidelined by a gruesome knee injury that required multiple surgeries and intensive rehabilitation to fix. His inspirational comeback, however, has been swallowed up to a degree by the team’s woes — both offensively and in general — as Cleveland is 2-7 and marching toward a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report on Saturday, November 16, predicted that Chubb will exit the organization when he hits free agency in March of next year and mentioned the best team in the sport as a potential destination.
“There’s a chance that the four-time Pro Bowler could revitalize his career in Cleveland, if the Browns can stabilize the offensive line and settle on a capable signal-caller. He’ll be a free agent in the offseason, though, and may not want to finish his career as part of whatever rebuild is coming to Cleveland,” Knox wrote. “Instead, Chubb should try to finish his career with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs — and, yes, plenty of players may want to do the same.”
Nick Chubb Can Follow in Footsteps of Former Teammate Kareem Hunt by Joining Chiefs
For a long time it was running back Kareem Hunt who played second fiddle to Chubb in Cleveland, returning last year to step in after Chubb’s injury sidelined him for the year.
This year, though, Hunt returned to his roots by inking a deal with the Chiefs following an injury to Isiah Pacheco. The reunion has been a success on both sides, as Hunt has tallied 449 rushing yards and 5 TDs on the ground to go with 14 receptions for 116 receiving yards across six games played.
Meanwhile, Kansas City remains undefeated on the season (9-0) heading into a heavyweight bout with the Buffalo Bills (8-2) this Sunday.
Nick Chubb Can Benefit From Prosperous RB Signings Around NFL in 2024
That Hunt has worked well with the Chiefs bodes extremely well for Chubb’s potential there, were the offseason to bring about that result.
Chubb has rushed for just 113 yards and 1 TD across three games, as Cleveland eases him back into action. That there is no playoff urgency around the franchise and that Chubb converted much of his guaranteed money to incentive-based salary to remain on the roster in 2024 are also reasons he might not be seeing as much action as he perhaps would otherwise.
The Browns will be cash-strapped for the next several seasons due to an expensive defense and two consecutive $73 million salary cap hits for quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2025 and 2026, as he plays out his $230 million fully-guaranteed deal.
Chubb won’t receive high-end money from the Browns if he re-signs with Cleveland, and he may not get it anywhere else either due to his recent injury history and limited production this season.
However, the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens both showed there is value in spending at running back by adding Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, respectively, to huge success this year.
In that context, the Chiefs taking a flier on a talent like Chubb makes plenty of sense. They would potentially add one of the best in the game to their backfield, while Chubb would get the chance to rebuild his value at age 29 and perhaps win a Super Bowl in the process.
