The Cleveland Browns have been hit hard by the injury but this season. Multiple key players have suffered season-ending injuries, but arguably the biggest loss has been running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb suffered an ugly knee injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hit him low. It looked eerily similar to the lower-leg injury that Chubb suffered while playing in college at Georgia, which raised a lot of concerns about his long-term health.
There were some worries Chubb’s career may be over depending on how severe the injury was. Luckily for him and the Browns, it wasn’t of the career-ending variety, but his season was over early because of it.
While he won’t be making a miraculous return to the field like Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets is attempting, the Browns did receive a positive update on their star running back. According to Jonathan Jones, an NFL insider for CBS Sports, Chubb underwent the second surgery on his knee and is expected to make a return to the field at some point in 2024.
That is certainly an encouraging update, but the Browns will have a difficult decision to make. Depending on when Chubb is expected back could determine his fate this offseason. Entering the final year of his contract, he is owed zero guaranteed dollars in 2024.
Despite that, he has a base salary of $11,750,000 and a cap hit of $16,200,000. That is a lot of money to be on the books for a player who is going to miss a portion of the 2024 regular season. Expect some negotiations to be held between the Browns and Chubb to see if his cap hit can be lowered.
An extension could make sense for both sides as Chubb was still playing at a high level before the knee injury. However, it is easy to understand the hesitancy the Browns would signing him to a long-term deal given the compressed running back market and uncertainty about his level of play post-knee injury.
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