WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV (92.3 The Fan) – Nick Chubb rarely says much.
But Saturday afternoon Chubb was as candid as he has ever been when it comes to the current state of financial affairs between NFL teams and running backs.
“We're definitely in a tough situation, running backs as a whole,” Chubb lamented Saturday.
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Giants running back Saquan Barkley, despite being one of the primary faces and offensive producers of their team, was unable to come to terms in time on a long-term contract and will have to play on the $10.1 million franchise tag, so he’s holding out.
“Saquon’s a great player and you can ask anyone around the league or even on the Giants how much he means to that team,” Chubb said. “So it's hard seeing him not get what he deserves.”
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is in the same boat as Barkley. Cowboys rusher Tony Pollard signed his tender while Ezekiel Elliott and Kareem Hunt remain free agents.
“We’re at a position where our production hurts us the most,” Chubb said. “If we go out there and run from 2,000 yards with so many carries, the next year they’re going to say you’re probably worn down. That’s the biggest thing that I took from it. It’s just tough. It hurts us just to go out to there and do good. It hurts us at the end of the day.”
Saturday there was a Zoom video conference call which Chubb participated in where the game’s top backs, including Barkley, Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans and Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, aired their frustrations among each other.
“I’m there with those guys too,” Chubb said. “I understand the situation and know it can be me one day. And yeah I’m kind of playing both sides. I’m here for my team but I’m also understanding the situation that I could be in.”
For a variety of reasons, NFL executives just do not want to pay running backs significant dollars over multiple years, yet the run game remains a crucial component.
Browns executive vice president of football operations Andrew Berry did his best to explain what us a league-wide philosophy outside of Cleveland because of Chubb.
“I think as you look at our sport, it has changed from, let’s call it the eighties and the nineties where at that point a lot of offenses were built on maybe a bell cow, a bell cow runner,” Berry said. “I think now unequivocally the central protagonist in our sport is the quarterback and as a result, positions that are quarterback plus positions that are tied to the passing game, the market has dictated that those values have shifted because of their impact on winning. And I think you see that over time as the game changes, the game evolves. Now that being said, the rarest thing that you can find is a difference maker regardless of position, regardless your organizational philosophy.
“And now we have a defensive tackle that's making north of $30 million. We have a guard that's making north of $20 million. We have linebackers that are making $20 million because there are players that break the mold. And for us, when we made our decision at running back, we felt like we had a superstar position who embodied everything that we wanted within the organization. So we didn't overthink it. It’s Nick Chubb, right. And so for us it was a pretty straightforward decision because those difference makers are hard to find.”
Chubb has rushed for 1,000 yards in four of his five seasons, and he missed a fifth by just four yards. He’s scored 48 touchdowns as well and continues to climb the franchise rushing record books coming off a career year that saw him rack up 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2022.
“We got the best of the business in my opinion,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “And I know that conversation and I know it’s complicated, but for us, we’re thrilled with the guys we have.”
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson can’t imagine the offense running without Chubb in the backfield.
“He's a big part of this offense and we know that,” Watson said. “So we’re going to continue to feature him and do what he’s great at. And Chubb he’s going to embrace his role and be able to do everything – catch passes, run the ball and do things that he probably hasn’t done before.
“So being able to feature him, he’s a very important part of, not just the offense but this team.”
With 6,341 yards under his belt, Chubb is 199 yards behind Mike Pruitt for third place on the Browns’ all-time list and 934 yards shy of passing Leroy Kelly for second place behind late Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who holds the franchise record with 12,312 yards over nine seasons.
Chubb, who said there have been no talks about extending his current deal, is doing all he can to focus on the upcoming season and not his long-term future.
“I got another year,” Chubb said. “So I mean it’s easy for me to say it’s not a big deal, but next year it could be me in the same situation. But for right now, I got one more year. I’m here. I’m all in. I’m ready to work with my guys.”
To Chubb’s point, although he was one more year remaining on his contract worth over $12.2 million, his 2024 cap charge is scheduled to be around $16.2 million. By carrying a $4 million dead cap hit, the Browns could cut him to save $12 million on their cap, but the way executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry spoke Saturday, that doesn’t seem to be a consideration.
“I would say this, Nick Chubb is the type of player and person that you hope is with the organization as long as possible,” Berry said.
“I think Nick has shown himself to be durable for us. Look, I think we all see on social media, how well he takes care of his body, obviously, and he's the consummate professional. So we're hopeful that he can play as long as possible.”