Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb will sign a 1-day contract on Friday, retiring as a member of the organization. He announced back in late August that he was calling it quits. It sounds like he’ll be sticking around for the entire weekend, too, as he will smash a guitar before the regular-season home opener on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, according to Scott Petrak of BrownsZone.com.
After a gruesome injury in Monday Night Football game against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, Chubb fought back to return to play, but he never was able to re-gain that burst, either in the following season in Cleveland in 2024, or his lone season in 2025 with the Houston Texans.
Nick Chubb Etched Name in the History Books
The Cleveland Browns haven’t gotten a ton of things correct in the NFL Draft since resurfacing in 1999 as an expansion franchise. However, in the 2018 NFL Draft, they selected Chubb with a second-round pick, No. 35 overall, out of the University of Georgia.
Chubb suffered a knee injury in college, so there were some eyebrows raised about his viability as an NFL running back, and if he could stay healthy after such a damaging injury in college.
Chubb quickly answered questions about his durability when he played all 16 games both in his rookie season of 2018, rushing for 996 yards and eight touchdowns, and in 2019, when he posted 1,494 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground.
In fact, Chubb averaged 15.0 games played in his first five NFL seasons from 2018-22, going for 996 or more rushing yards in all five campaigns, while running for at least eight touchdowns in each of the seasons, too.
A Night in Pittsburgh Changed a Career
© Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
I’ve never been a fan of those alternate white jerseys with the white Browns helmet, and I especially hated them after Chubb’s injury. Every time I see those jerseys I think about that night that changed a career.
Chubb was on his way to being a superstar with the Browns, and on a carry near the goal line, under the lights of Monday night, in a Week 2 game in Pittsburgh, he was tackled awkwardly, with his left leg bending in an unnatural direction. He suffered multiple torn ligaments, including to his ACL and MCL, as well as a meniscus tear.
In 2024, he also suffered a fractured foot. However, it was the knee injury in Pittsburgh that sapped him of his burst and explosiveness which made him a star. It was the same knee he injured at Georgia, and he just never was the same, which is such a shame. Chubb did so much for the local community in Cleveland, he put up eye-popping numbers, and was truly on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
Chubb finishes his career with 6,843 rushing yards in a Browns uniform, which is third-best on the franchise list behind Hall of Famers Jim Brown (12,312) and Leroy Kelly (7,274). He also had 51 rushing touchdowns, which is third-best, too. He averaged 5.1 yards per rushing attempt in his 85 games with Cleveland.
Best wishes in retirement, Nick. And everyone in Cleveland thanks you for your hard work and dedication to the team.
