The Cleveland Browns and running back Nick Chubb face an uncertain future heading into the NFL offseason. Chubb is a free agent and is coming off of a tough year.
While he was able to make his return to the field following his gruesome knee injury, Chubb didn't look anything like his old self. In the games that he played, he was relatively ineffective.
Chubb played in eight games throughout the 2024 season, carrying the football 102 times for 332 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.
At 29 years old, there are very legitimate concerns that he won't be able to play like a starting caliber running back again.
Despite those concerns, there are also reasons to think that with another full offseason of getting healthier and stronger, Chubb could bounce back in a big way in 2025. The Browns will simply have to decide whether or not they're willing to risk the little money that they do have on re-signing him.
With that being said, Chubb recently opened up about his upcoming free agency. He made it very clear that he would like to return to Cleveland above any other option.
"Of course," Chubb said. "This is where I was drafted. This is where I've played the last seven years. I'm not sure how it'll work. This is the first time I've been a free agent. But I'd like to get it done sooner than later."
Back in January, general manager Andrew Berry offered his thoughts on Chubb's impending free agency.
"It's always a challenging situation when one of your cornerstone players, their contract is up," Berry said then. "That's probably maybe a little bit the different situation this year, relative to last, where there is maybe perhaps a little bit less control on the club side with it. Those are all decisions that we do have to work through in the next several weeks."
Right now, no one knows what the Browns are going to do. It seems very likely that they would have interest in re-signing Chubb to a team-friendly contract.
However, there is a chance that another team could come in and offer more money. Would Chubb turn more money down to return to Cleveland? Only time will tell.
It will be interesting to see what ends up happening this offseason. There is a very real chance that Chubb could leave the Browns, but there is also a chance he's back and continues to be part of the franchise that drafted him.
