Nick Chubb on state of running back contracts: ‘Only position where our production hurts us’

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Over his first five seasons, Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb has been dependable, productive and, at times, dominant.

He might be the NFL’s best running back, but he’s never been loquacious. Chubb never says much about anything, actually. So when he stepped to the podium after the Browns’ practice Sunday and started giving long answers about Saquon Barkley’s contract situation, the importance of the running back position in today’s NFL and even his own future, it was as rare as Chubb getting dropped for a loss.

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“We’re definitely in a tough situation, running backs as a whole,” Chubb said. “Saquon is a great player and you can ask anyone around the league or even on the Giants how much he means to that team. So it’s hard seeing him not get what he deserves.”

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On the first night of the Browns’ training camp trip to the Greenbrier Resort, Chubb joined some of the league’s other top running backs on a Zoom call. The primary topic of discussion was the reluctance of teams — not just the Giants — to make long-term financial commitments to running backs and kick around some possible (but unlikely) solutions to help backs who have already logged four or more NFL seasons to get paid like top players at other positions. The players shared ideas and frustrations about what Chubb called the “myth” that running backs age faster or more poorly than players at other positions.

“Well, I mean, right now it’s just tough — there’s really nothing we can do,” Chubb said. “We’re kind of handcuffed with the situation. The biggest thing is that we’re the only position that our production hurts us the most. If we go out there and run for 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 tough. It hurts us just to go out there and do good. It hurts us at the end of the day.

“I feel like I had to be (on that Zoom) … and listen to what everyone’s saying, and I feel like it was important for me to be there because we got young guys who’ll be up next like (Jonathan Taylor), Najee Harris and J.K. Dobbins. I feel like it was important for them to see my face and to hear my voice there just supporting everyone.”

Chubb is the first player in NFL history to have five straight seasons of at least 5.0 yards per carry on 100 or more rushes in each of those seasons, and in 2022 Chubb posted a career-high 1,525 rushing yards while tying a career high with 12 touchdown runs. He did that on a career-high 302 carries.

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Even with the Browns set to open things up offensively with Deshaun Watson fully eligible and entrenched as their quarterback, Chubb is in line for another big season. Chubb said he still feels as valuable to the Browns as he ever has, and Kevin Stefanski — the Browns’ head coach and play caller — said he still views the running back position as important.

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“For us it is,” Stefanski said. “I mean, we’ve got the best in the business, in my opinion (in Chubb). I know that (positional value) conversation and I know it’s complicated, but for us, we’re thrilled with the guys we have.”

Chubb, who will be 28 in December and has logged 1,210 career rushes, is under contract through 2024. But most of the guarantees in the deal he signed ahead of the 2021 season expire this year, and the Browns have significant financial commitments across their offensive roster for 2024 and beyond.

To this point, Chubb has aged well. So has the team-friendly contract he signed almost exactly two years ago, which included a signing bonus of $12 million and $20 million in guarantees. His $12.2 million average annual salary ranks fourth among running backs, and his 2023 salary-cap number is $14.85 million. Things could potentially get sticky in 2024 when Chubb’s cap number is around $16 million, but the Browns would incur just $4 million in dead money if Chubb is not on the roster.

It’s not that anybody’s thinking Chubb will have a subpar year or that the Browns want to move on from one of the best players — at any position — of the team’s new era. But Watson’s current cap number for 2024 is $63 million, and even once that’s inevitably reworked again into a more manageable number, the Browns still have four offensive linemen under cap numbers of at least $12 million for 2024, David Njoku at $18.3 million and Amari Cooper at $23.7 million. That’s why it was more than fair to ask general manager Andrew Berry about Chubb’s long-term standing with the team Sunday, which someone did.

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“Nick Chubb is the type of player and person that you hope is with the organization as long as possible,” Berry said.

That’s not a firm answer, obviously. And there’s no way Berry can project much of anything ahead of a crucial season for the Browns. But Berry’s longer answer about positional value and how general managers with roster authority view budgets and contract values revealed how the Browns view Chubb — and understand his value.

“I think as you look at our sport, it has changed from — let’s call it the 1980s and ’90s — where at that point, a lot of offenses were built on maybe (having) 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 the 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.

“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 of your organizational philosophy. And now we have (across the league) a defensive tackle that’s making north of $30 million. We have a guard that’s making north of $20 million. We have off-the-ball 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 (in 2021), we felt like we had a superstar at the position who embodied everything that we wanted within the organization, so we didn’t overthink it. It is Nick Chubb, right?

“So for us, it was a pretty straightforward decision because those difference-makers are hard to find.”

To anyone who’s followed Chubb’s reluctance to either say much or go down on first (or second) contact over the years, it’s no surprise that his answers about his own future included that his focus is on the season ahead and helping Cleveland get back to the playoffs. He said there’s been no talk between his representatives and the Browns to this point about a possible extension.

If you know Chubb, you know he’s genuine when he’s standing up for running backs everywhere but still insinuates he’s more focused on outrunning the Bengals than he is in outrunning Father Time.

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“I got another year (on my contract), so, it’s easy for me to say it’s not a big deal,” Chubb said. “But next year it could be me in the same situation. For right now, I do have one more year (and) I’m here, I’m all in. I’m ready to work with my guys.”

Just before the Browns reported for camp, a video of Chubb squatting an absurd amount of weight at his high school popped up on social media. Chubb wouldn’t reveal how much weight was on the bar in the video, but he did say it was a personal best. That kind of video has become sort of a summer tradition, and kind of a subtle message of readiness from Chubb, who played in all 17 games last season and has only missed seven in his career.

“I think Nick has shown himself to be durable for us,” Berry said. “Look, I think you all see on social media how well he takes care of his body, obviously, and he’s a consummate professional. We’re hopeful that he can play as long as possible.

“I always tell Nick, whenever that (video) comes out, I shoot him a text like, ‘Nick. This is always my favorite social media clip of the offseason and the most anxiety-producing one as well.’ He’s a freak of nature.”

Training Camp Note: The Browns have held a walk-through and an instructional practice on their first two days at The Greenbrier. Once the competitive practice sessions begin, we’ll share our observations and insights from the practice fields. 

(Photo: Chris Carlson / Associated Press)

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