The Cleveland Browns want to bring Nick Chubb back next season, and potentially beyond, but they face stiff competition from an NFC team on the rise.
The Chicago Bears tried to trade up for star running back Ashton Jeanty in last weekend’s NFL draft. But after that failed, the franchise set its sights directly on Chubb and his continued free agency.
New Bears head coach Ben Johnson built a two-headed monster in the run game during his three-year run as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, and he’s looking to mirror that approach during his first season at the helm in Chicago.
D’Andre Swift remains the Bears’ presumed starting running back in 2025 with two years left on his $24 million contract. Swift’s speed and slipperiness could prove the perfect complement to Chubb’s talents as a RB duo in the NFC North Division.
“The #Browns want to bring Nick Chubb back. They are trying hard to bring Nick back. I know this. The #Bears are very serious about bringing him in and are trying to make this push”
🎙️@KenCarman to @SportsBoyTony on future for RB Nick Chubb🏈⤵️
🔊Listen: t.co/2RT1AdD9C2
“The Browns want to bring Nick Chubb back, and they are trying hard to bring Nick back,” Ken Carman of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland said on Thursday, May 1. “I also know, the Bears — now they’re gonna make it public, and they’re gonna go after him. They’re beating down the door.”
Browns May Have Played Their Way Out of Nick Chubb Reunion by Drafting 2 Running Backs
GettyNew Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins.
The Browns’ decision to select two running backs in the draft this year also sends a clear message to Chubb that even if he’s back in Cleveland next year, he likely won’t be in the driver’s seat for the starting job — at least not when training camp opens this summer.
“Did [the Browns] taking the two rookies make it easy for Nick Chubb to go elsewhere?” Carman’s co-host Anthony Lima asked later in the discussion.
“It might have,” Carman responded.
“So if they really wanted Chubb, they kinda shot themselves in the foot,” Lima added.
“But if they were gonna bring Nick back, how long are they bringing Nick back for?” Carman continued. “I mean, these are two running backs that can play the next four years for ya — you’re hoping. Nick’s [on] a year-to-year basis now after the foot injury last year, let’s call it what it is. The Browns are serious about bringing him back, the Bears are very serious about bringing him in.”
Cleveland selected running back Quinshon Judkins out of Ohio State with a premium pick early in the second round and added RB Dylan Sampson out of Tennessee in Round 4.
Nick Chubb Has Better Chance to Rebuild Value in Chicago Than Cleveland
GettyFormer Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb shouldn’t be expensive in 2025 with a projected market value of only $3.3 million on a new one-year deal.
However, he’s certainly hoping to show that he’s bounced back from consecutive season-ending injuries in 2023 and 2024, and the Bears can simply offer him a better opportunity to do so given the fact they have considerably less youth and depth in their running backs room than do the Browns.
Johnson’s offenses have been among the most potent in the league over the past three years, and a revamped offensive line in front of a dynamic young QB in Caleb Williams should provide an attractive destination for Chubb
Chubb produced over 6,300 rushing yards and 48 rushing TDs during his first five seasons in Cleveland. However, he put up just 500 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs over the past two years, during which he appeared in only 10 total games.
