A four-time Pro Bowler in eight years of NFL play, former Browns and Texans running back Nick Chubb announced his retirement from football on his Instagram account this evening. The 30-year-old finishes his career with the third-highest rushing total in Browns history (behind only Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly) and the second-most rushing yards per game in franchise history (behind Brown).
Alongside such future NFL stars as Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, and Sony Michel, Chubb was one of four five-star rushers in the class of 2014. Coming out of Cedartown HS (Ga.), Chubb chose to stay fairly close to home when he committed to the Bulldogs, along with Michel. In Athens, the two freshmen rushers began their collegiate careers behind star running back Todd Gurley, a future top 10 pick in the next year’s draft. Gurley was suspended partway through the year, though, opening the door for a new star to emerge.
Coming off the bench, Chubb made the most of his few opportunities even before Gurley was sidelined with 31 rushes for 224 yards and two rushing touchdowns through five games. As the new starting rusher, Chubb didn’t rush for fewer than 113 yards for the rest of the season. He exploded onto the college football scene, totaling 1,323 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns over the final eight games of the season, good for an average of 165.38 yards per game. Chubb’s sophomore campaign was cut short when a brutal knee injury sidelined him after only six games. Despite the limited time, he still totaled 747 yards and seven touchdowns on a ridiculous 8.1 yards per carry.
After allowing Michel to have his time in the spotlight, Chubb returned to a starting role for the Dawgs the next year. Coming back from injury, Chubb’s numbers were more modest as he totaled 1,130 yards and eight touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry. In their final year at Georgia, both Chubb and Michel returned to dominance. One of the more impressive two-headed rushing attacks in NCAA history, Chubb rushed 223 times for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Michel spelled him for 1,227 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 156 carries. As a result, Michel jumped Chubb on draft boards. Behind Saquon Barkley (No. 2 overall) and Rashaad Penny (27), Michel and Chubb were the third and fourth backs off the board in 2018 at Nos. 31 and 35, respectively, with Chubb just slipping into the second round.
Joining a Browns team that had just finished the NFL’s second ever 0-16 season, Chubb joined a running backs room led by a starting duo of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson. Chubb would take over the starting job Week 7 and finish his rookie season with 996 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. In his first season as a full-time starter, Chubb finished with the NFL’s second-highest rushing yard total, falling just 46 yards short of Derrick Henry with 1,494 yards and eight touchdowns on 298 carries and earning his first Pro Bowl.
In 2020, Chubb returned to the two-headed rushing system he was used to from his college days as he totaled 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns on eight fewer carries than Kareem Hunt, who finished with 841 rushing yards and six touchdowns. They led Cleveland to its first winning season since 2006, its first playoff appearance since 2002, and its first playoff victory since 1994. The Browns stayed competitive over the next two years as Chubb made his third and fourth consecutive Pro Bowls. In a second-team All-Pro campaign in 2022, Chubb recorded career highs in rushing yards (1,525) and total touchdowns (13).
In 2023, things took a turn for the worst when Chubb suffered a serious knee injury to the same knee he hurt in college in only the second week of the season. Diagnosed with a torn MCL and damaged ACL, Chubb missed the remainder of the season and the first four games of the following year. Upon his return, Chubb looked like a shadow of his former self, averaging only 41.2 yards per game in eight contests on a career-low 3.3 yards per carry. Last year, he signed a one-year deal with the Texans, and though he was able to appear in 15 games, making nine starts, his performance barely improved as he finished with 48.4 yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry.
In his Instagram announcement, Chubb acknowledged how impactful the injuries had been on his career. He admitted that his naivety had benefitted him as he had worked through one “devastating knee injury at 19” but that it was “a lot different than going through one at 28.” Shedding that naivety, Chubb reasoned what many oft-injured players do as he said in his post, “There’s a life waiting for you after football, too. And health is the real wealth.” He now steps away from the sport with pride in his career and with no regrets.
This content was brought to you by: Pro Football Rumors
