The Cleveland Browns and standout running back Nick Chubb reached a three-year, $36 million contract agreement prior to the 2021 season. He was committed to the team through the end of the 2024 campaign thanks to the contract. Before that campaign begins, Chubb is recovering from a severe knee injury.
He also had to recover from a horrific knee injury he sustained in 2015 while playing for the Georgia Bulldogs, so this is not the first time he has had to do it. Cleveland supporters have great expectations that he will lead the offence once more when he returns in 2024 because he looked as good as ever when he did.
Although there is a lot of hope, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks they may have to persuade Chubb to accept a wage decrease as he approaches the last year of his contract. He goes on to say that in order to avoid being forced to accept the salary cap, they could have to let go of former All-Pro offensive lineman Jack Conklin.
“They’ll likely cut Conklin and ask running back Chubb to take a pay cut this offseason, but this might be the best version of the Browns we see for the next few years if they don’t make any changes.” – Barnwell, ESPN
Running backs with a lot of league experience have a history of making compromises in order to remain with their clubs, as Heavy’s Max Dible noted.
“Chubb’s counterpart Joe Mixon of the Bengals took a $3 million pay cut to remain in Cincinnati last offseason, while Aaron Jones sacrificed $5 million to remain with the Green Bay Packers.” – Heavy Dibble
For the Browns to continue winning, money will need to be moved around.
We can never be certain of Cleveland’s intentions, and to be honest, they may not even know yet. That being said, in order to both address gaps and keep their key players under contract, they will need to be resourceful with their cap space.
Given how Dawand Jones fared when he was out, it seems like a possible move to move on from Conklin, who is also recovering from a major injury. But it’s difficult to predict just how they’ll proceed with Chubb. They are unlikely to renew him after an injury, which might result in immediate cost savings. However, they’re not the kind of company to play hardball with a guy like Chubb.
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