CLEVELAND, Ohio – Jim Brown was 29 in his final season with the Browns.
As Nick Chubb is set to head to Houston, the former Browns running back is also 29.
Nick Chubb & Jim Brown.
This is not to say Chubb’s career in Cleveland matched that of Jim Brown. Not even close. No one wearing a Browns helmet had a career like Jim Brown.
But when I think of Browns running backs, Jim Brown is No. 1.
And yes, Chubb is No. 2.
Brown walked away from football in 1965. I am old enough to have watched him play. For those who want to savor the memories of No. 32 carrying the football with one hand … or want to see it for the first time … just google “Jim Brown highlights.”
Watch them and I’ll let you come up with your own description.
Then do something else … google the highlights of Nick Chubb.
There are moments when I thought I was watching Jim Brown.
There is and probably will be only one Jim Brown when it comes to NFL running backs.
Jim Brown obit
The greatest running back ever – Jim Brown.AP
Among the greats
The Browns have had other great running backs after Brown, including Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly. Before Brown was the great Marion Motley (1946-53), another Hall of Famer. I never saw Motley.
I know that Brown loved Chubb as a player and a person. Like Brown, Chubb never engaged in celebrations after scoring touchdowns. He was like Jim Brown. Go into the end zone, then calmly give the ball to the official. Brown’s motto was: “Act like you’ve been there before.”
In terms of stats, Chubb ranks No. 3 on the team’s all time rushing list: Jim Brown (12,312 yards), Kelly (7,274 yards) and Chubb (6,843 yards). The only other Cleveland running back with more than 5,500 career yards is Mike Pruitt (6,540).
Jim Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Next is Chubb, 5.1 yards. No one else on the list of the Browns top 10 rushers averaged more than five yards per carry.
Browns battle the Broncos on Monday Night Football
Nick Chubb will always be special to Browns fans. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Coming back
Like many fans, I was hoping the Browns would bring back Chubb for another year. But also like many fans, I was thinking with my heart.
Chubb is still battling back from the gruesome knee injury he suffered on September 18, 2023. During a Monday night loss to Pittsburgh, Chubb was hit near the goal line by defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. His knee bent back and off to the side. The replay was so ugly, they didn’t put it on the scoreboard in Pittsburgh.
Chubb suffered torn ACL and MCL ligaments along with other damage. The damage was so significant, he needed two surgeries within a 3-month period to put his knee back together.
Making it worse for Chubb, it was the same knee that endured major reconstruction surgery when he was a running back at Georgia in 2015.
Chubb returned to the Browns 13 months after the injury. It was remarkable that he made it back that soon. Perhaps he came back too soon, but Chubb had to believe he was fighting for his career.
Chubb returned to the field on October 20, 2024. That was 398 days from that awful night in Pittsburgh. He played eight games, carried the ball 102 times. He averaged only 3.2 yards per attempt.
Chubb was still a warrior. His blocking on blitzing linebackers was fierce and effective. He threw his body into tacklers for tough short yardage again. But the speed and the sharp cut that made Nick Chubb great were gone.
Then Chubb’s season ended when he suffered a broken foot on December 15, 2024, in a loss to Kansas City.
Browns rookie minicamp, day 1
The Browns drafted Quinshon Jenkins to be their starting running back. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Reality of the NFL
I was at the Browns training camp in Greenbrier, West Virginia, during the 2023 training camp when Chubb talked about how the NFL was devaluing running backs. All players are considered replaceable parts, but running backs are more vulnerable than most. But the age of analytics believes most teams would be wiser to draft a running back on a rookie contract than pay a veteran.
Injuries are part of the problem, especially for running backs who carry the ball a lot.
But the NFL is a passing league and doesn’t feel running backs deserve big money. There are exceptions.
In 2023, Chubb was one of the exceptions. According to Over The Cap, Chubb was the second-highest paid running back in the NFL that season ($14.8 million). Only Derrick Henry ($16.3 million) was paid more. Those are salary cap figures.
During the interview, Chubb discussed how some good running backs such as Kareem Hunt weren’t in camp with any team.
“Next year it could be me in the same situation,” said Chubb. “I understand the situation. I know it can be me one day.”
Two months later, he was injured in Pittsburgh.
In 2024, he was set to be paid $16 million. None was guaranteed. The Browns reworked the contract, guaranteeing him about $2.2 million with a chance to earn a lot more based on performance. The team could have cut him. After he signed with the Browns in 2024, he was thankful.
To show how the NFL has little regard for the value of most running backs, at $2.2 million Chubb still ranked No. 30.
Business decisions
The Browns know more about Chubb’s medical situation because he’s been with them since he was a second-round pick in 2018. They also are watching every penny on their salary cap because they are still dealing with the consequences of the monster Deshaun Watson contract.
My sense is the Browns didn’t want to bring Chubb to camp and cut him.
If I’m the agent for Chubb, I don’t want to send my client to a team that just drafted running backs in the second round (Quinshon Judkins) and fourth round (Dylan Sampson). Running back Jerome Ford took a pay cut from $3.5 million to $1.7 million to stay with the team in 2025. Judkins and Sampson will probably have combined salaries in the $2 million range.
The Browns are going younger and salary-cap friendly. That was bad news for Chubb.
Unlike most running backs, Chubb has had some excellent contracts. He’s made $38 million in his NFL career, according to Overthecap.com.
Yes, Chubb is a great role model. But if I’m Chubb, I want to prove I can still play – and do it for a team that sincerely wants me. Houston is a contender. The Texans have Joe Mixon but need more depth at running back.
The Texans signed Chubb to a contract worth $2.5 million with incentives to earn more.
Sometimes, an athlete doesn’t find out how well he can play after a major knee surgery until his second season back on the field. That’s Chubb in 2025.
I received this email from Charles, which reflects the thoughts of many fans:
“I know football is a business and the Browns needed to get younger. You cannot hold onto the past, but if there was ever a player I would want to hold onto for sentimental reasons – it would be Nick Chubb. The announcement (of Chubb signing with Houston), though expected, is just devastating…
“I hope and pray he revives his career in Houston... I am deeply saddened it will not be in Cleveland… But I will always wear my #24 with pride!"