Nick Chubb yearns to bounce back from the torn MCL and damaged ACL injury that limited him to two games in the 2023 NFL season. But as he returns to action with the Cleveland Browns in 2024, he will do it under a restructured contract.
CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan wrote that Chubb and the Browns agreed to reduce his $11.775 million base salary for 2024, clearing some cap space. However, he can earn the money through incentives. With uncertainty looming over his status, the Browns could cut Chubb because he carried only a $4 million dead cap, giving them $11.8 million in savings.
The #Browns have agreed to a restructured contract with star RB Nick Chubb that will keep him in Cleveland, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/AVQ0YIWnne
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) April 11, 2024
However, the four-time Pro Bowler will remain with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
When healthy, Nick Chubb is among the league's best running backs. He had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2019 to 2022. In the final year of that impressive stretch, Chubb earned a Second Team All-Pro nod after finishing with 1,525 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Browns are hoping to get Chubb, who dominated opponents before his gruesome Week 2 injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The injury was so severe that the game's broadcasting partner did not show the replay.
In some ways, the 2024 season is like an audition for Chubb. He would like to prove that he's still the punishing running back from the Cleveland backfield, boosting his chances of earning another contract.
Nick Chubb will rejoin Cleveland's running back rotation featuring Jerome Ford, D'Onta Foreman, and Nyheim Hines.
-Lance Fernandez