Browns Predicted to Reunite With Nick Chubb, Despite RB’s Deal With Texans originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Cleveland Browns chose not to bring four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb back this offseason, instead allowing him join the AFC rival Houston Texans in free agency.
Chubb, now 29 years old, inked a one-year deal worth $2.5 million in Houston, which is indicative of how easy and relatively inexpensive it would have been for Cleveland to bring the once elite rusher back into the fold.
But the Browns opted instead to select two running backs in the 2024 NFL draft: Quinshon Judkins out of Ohio State (No. 36 overall in the second round) and Dylan Sampson out of Tennessee (No. 126 overall in the fourth round). They have joined Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. as the top four running backs on Cleveland’s depth chart heading into training camp this summer.
Just because Chubb is playing elsewhere for the first time in what will be his eighth NFL season doesn’t mean his journey in Cleveland is at an end, however. At least not according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, who predicted an eventual reunion between Chubb and the Browns before his career is complete.
“There’s definitely a chance the Browns will work something out with Nick Chubb down the road, even if he signs just to retire as a Brown,” Cabot wrote on Sunday, June 15. “I absolutely think this should and will happen. Based on Chubb’s heartfelt thank you to Browns fans, I truly believe he’ll be open to it and will want it as much as the Browns and their fans do.”
Chubb’s last two seasons each ended in injury. He suffered a catastrophic knee injury in 2023, which required multiple surgeries to repair and kept him sidelined for more than a calendar year. Chubb then broke his foot after eight games played last season.
That said, a quality bounce-back campaign in Houston could lead to a new multiyear deal for Chubb, who came back from a devastating knee injury during his college days in Georgia. That kind of success could delay any potential return to Cleveland, either as a legitimate piece of the offense or as an honorary signing meant to facilitate the franchise legend officially retiring as a member of the Browns.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.