Browns Rumors: Nick Chubb Reworks Contract amid Injury; Latest 2024 Salary Cap Info
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured Columnist IVApril 11, 2024
Nick Chubb will remain with the only NFL team he has ever known as he recovers from multiple knee surgeries, but he will do so on an altered contract.
The Cleveland Browns and the veteran running back agreed to a reworked contract on Thursday that will see his base salary of $11.775 million in 2024 get lowered, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport added that Chubb will have a chance to earn that money back in the form of incentives.
Jeremy Fowler @JFowlerESPNOn Nick Chubb's reworked deal, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Browns?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Browns</a> reduced his salary cap hit from $15.85M to $6.275M, per source. <br><br>Deal gives him the opportunity to earn up to $12.2M in 2024 based on performance levels he had achieved prior to injury.
Per OverTheCap.com, the Browns had just $3.9 million in salary cap space for 2024 before reportedly addressing Chubb's contract, which was the sixth-lowest amount of cap space in the NFL.
Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com pointed out in January the Browns could save significant money by releasing him but suggested they wouldn't do so because he is "more than just a cap figure to this team" and a "beloved teammate."
That left restructuring the deal as the main option to keep him on the roster, and the AFC North team did just that.
NFL @NFLNick Chubb spins out of a tackle for the 33-yard TD!<br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLEvsMIA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CLEvsMIA</a> on CBS<br>📱: Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/69z8ixgEIW">https://t.co/69z8ixgEIW</a> <a href="https://t.co/8duzLKjQsa">pic.twitter.com/8duzLKjQsa</a>
Chubb suffered his knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 campaign against the Pittsburgh Steelers. ESPN's Jake Trotter noted he underwent surgery to repair the medial capsule, meniscus and MCL in September and another surgery in November to repair the ACL.
It was the same left knee that was surgically reconstructed because of the torn MCL, PCL and LCL he suffered while at Georgia in 2015.
"No one in the organization, nobody wants to see that carry in Pittsburgh be the last time that he carries the ball for the Cleveland Browns," general manager Andrew Berry said, per Trotter. "Obviously there are things that we'll have to work through, but [moving on from Chubb] would not be our intention."
Chubb's setback was part of an injury-marred season for the Browns that also saw quarterback Deshaun Watson sidelined. Yet they still made the playoffs with veteran Joe Flacco leading the way under center and second-year running back Jerome Ford carrying the rushing attack.
The presence of Ford means Chubb can ease his way back into the lineup in 2024 after the Cincinnati product ran for 813 yards and four touchdowns and tallied 44 receptions for 319 yards and five scores.
Still, he can't match Chubb's resume.
The 2018 second-round draft pick is a four-time Pro Bowler who ran for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with 27 catches for 239 yards and one touchdown in 2022. It was his fourth straight season with more than 1,000 rushing yards, which put him on the short list of the best running backs in the league entering the 2023 campaign.
However, he is now 28 years old and coming off his second major knee injury.
It is fair to wonder if he can return to that level in 2024 and beyond, but his contract will look a bit different as he attempts that comeback.