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It's a shame Nick Chubb won't get wish to retire as a wire-to-wire Browns player
It's understandable, yet heartbreaking.
The Nick Chubb era has ended for the Browns, with the franchise allowing Cleveland's football hero to walk in free agency and the Houston Texans announcing they signed the four-time Pro Bowl running back on June 9.
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Earlier this offseason, the futures of three all-time Browns greats were clouded with uncertainty. Chubb's contract expired March 12, six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett requested a trade Feb. 3 and seven-time Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio contemplated retirement.
Of those three franchise cornerstones, only Chubb is leaving. His contract with the Texans is for one year and worth $2.5 million, but it can reach $5 million with incentives, NFL Network reported.
Cleveland Browns didn't retain Nick Chubb, resulting in the beloved running back joining Houston Texans in NFL free agency
It is a shame Chubb's wish to retire as a wire-to-wire Browns player won't be granted. He has been the heart and soul of the team for the last several years.
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Chubb and Cleveland fit together like Batman and Gotham City.
Nevertheless, it would not be fair to eviscerate Browns management for Chubb's departure. Everyone knows injuries created extenuating circumstances. It's reasonable to simultaneously hate this outcome and comprehend why the Browns let it happen.
Still, seeing Chubb in another NFL uniform will be beyond disappointing. He is justifiably beloved and respected in Northeast Ohio.
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Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) is introduced before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 21, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Chubb is a score-a-touchdown-and-hand-the-ball-to-the-referee throwback. He's a no-nonsense, elite talent, an obsessive worker and an old-school tough guy.
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Heading into the 2019 season, former Browns general manager John Dorsey identified Chubb in an interview with the Beacon Journal as the player he hoped others on the roster would emulate.
'When I talk about competitiveness, good football players, good in the locker room, everything that exemplifies what this organization is trying to achieve, I think it's Nick Chubb," Dorsey said back then.
The statement could have been considered bold at the time because Chubb had only one professional season under his belt. However, Dorsey and others who witnessed how Chubb comported himself behind the scenes as a rookie 2018 second-round draft pick (No. 35 overall) from the University of Georgia knew Cleveland had landed a rare individual.
Browns running back Nick Chubb answers a question at the Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards, Friday, June 21, 2024, at the Akron Civic Theatre.
Running back Nick Chubb's injuries interfered with his elite production for the Browns
Chubb's ethos revealed itself when NFL Films fitted him with microphone for a home game against the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 24, 2019. A telling moment occurred when former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. approached Chubb on the sideline and said, 'I wanna score a touchdown.' Chubb simply replied, 'I wanna win.'
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Dorsey admired Chubb's team-first attitude, and the next Browns regime became enamored with it, too.
Coach Kevin Stefanski often avoids saying anything of substance in public settings, but even he couldn't resist repeatedly telling reporters Chubb is his favorite player. Chubb isn't just a low-maintenance star. He's a no-maintenance star. Stefanski has voiced those facts.
In each season from 2019-22, Chubb averaged at least 5 yards a carry and rushed for more than 1,000 yards. He proved himself as the best pure ball carrier in the NFL during the four-year stretch.
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (right) breaks guitar painted in New York Jets colors and logos before a game against the Jets on Dec. 28, 2023, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Given everything Chubb represents, a vote was cast under this byline for the Browns to re-sign him in the 2025 offseason to a one-year, incentive-laden contract.
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It didn't happen, and the result is a proverbial gut punch to an oft-tormented fan base.
The Browns, though, have been trying to brace everyone for this for a while.
The writing on the wall had been glaring since Browns general manager Andrew Berry drafted two running backs in late April — Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins in the second round (No. 36 overall) and Tennessee's Dylan Sampson in the fourth round (No. 126 overall). Chubb's fate was further foreshadowed on May 2, when Browns running back Jerome Ford agreed to reduce his 2025 salary from $3.486 million to $1.75 million.
And during a May 9 radio interview with 92.3 The Fan, Berry characterized the possibility of retaining Chubb as "probably increasingly unlikely.'
Browns running back Nick Chubb is taken from the field on a cart after suffering a knee injury against the Steelers on Sept. 18, 2023, in Pittsburgh.
Chubb returned to game action last season after blowing out his left knee for the second time. He suffered the most recent gruesome injury on Sept. 18, 2023, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first one happened on Oct. 10, 2015, during his sophomore season at Georgia.
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In eight games last season, Chubb didn't look like himself en route to 332 yards and three touchdowns on 102 carries (3.3 average). But no one should have expected him to be at full strength in his first season back, either. A broken left foot suffered on Dec. 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs ended Chubb's 2024 season early and muddied his future with the Browns even more.
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Because of Chubb defying injury-related odds in the past, his return to form (or at least something close) cannot be counted out.
At the same time, Berry needed to weigh the 29-year-old Chubb's medical history while deciding whether to re-sign him. Berry's job requires him to forsake sentimentality, and this year's running back draft class was highly touted. Hence Cleveland double-dipping to jump-start a youth movement at the position.
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Again, the Chubb era ending in Cleveland is understandable, yet heartbreaking.
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) stands in the end zone before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 8, 2023, in Pittsburgh.
Nick Chubb has been the most popular Cleveland Browns player for several years
This isn't exactly scientific but based on eyeball tests conducted at the lakefront stadium in recent seasons, there were more No. 24 Chubb jerseys worn by fans on game day than any other variation.
The clear runner-up would be No. 95 Garrett jerseys. Drafted first overall by the Browns in 2017, the 29-year-old Garrett isn't going anywhere after he asked for a trade this offseason. He stated on Feb. 3 he wanted to join a contender and win a Super Bowl, only to reverse course on March 9 by agreeing to a four-year, $160 million contract extension, which includes $123 million guaranteed.
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With 11 NFL seasons in the books, Bitonio thought about retiring before announcing on March 5 he would return for the 2025 season, the final one on his Browns contract.
The longest-tenured member of the Browns, Bitonio is among the best offensive linemen in club history. A 2014 second-round draft pick (No. 35 overall), Bitonio is also an invaluable leader and a phenomenal bridge from the organization to local media and fans.
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) scores a 5-yard touchdown against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 2, 2024, in Denver, Colorado.
If Bitonio didn't play such a thankless position, his No. 75 jersey would be nearly as popular as the ones emblazoned with the names Chubb and Garrett, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023 season and Cleveland's all-time career sack leader with 102.5.
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The 33-year-old Bitonio falls somewhere between Garrett and Chubb in terms of their chances to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bitonio would probably need a few more standout seasons to one day be inducted. Garrett is a surefire future Hall of Famer. Injuries likely will be remembered for keeping a Chubb bronze bust out of Canton, just like they will largely be blamed for his exit from Cleveland.
Garrett and Bitonio could still spend their entire playing careers with the Browns. It's too bad Chubb won't.
The next best option is a no-brainer.
When the time is right, the Browns must activate the Bat-Signal, sign Chubb to a one-day contract as his NFL career concludes and fast-track him into their Ring of Honor and Legends program.
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Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@ On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Nick Chubb era ending for Browns heartbreaking as Texans sign him
