Cleveland Browns: Is Dalvin Cook situation what’s to come for Nick Chubb?
By Greg Newland
After a strong 2019 season, Dalvin Cook has made it clear he wants a new contract. Will this happen to the Cleveland Browns next offseason?
Anymore having a dominant, young running back in the NFL appears to be a blessing and a curse. The Cleveland Browns have exactly that with Nick Chubb who will be entering his third year in the league next season. While Chubb is a tremendous asset, the difficult question of “is he worth the big deal?”, is coming sooner than later.
Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is coming off his best season as a pro. The former second-round pick struggled with injuries his first two years in the league but rushed for over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019, which earned him a trip to the pro-bowl. In his current rookie deal, Cook is set to earn $1.7 million in 2020, well below his over the cap valuation of $10.7 million.
At this time many predict the Vikings and Cook will resolve the issue, but it is still in the news and can be a distraction to the team. But the fact is, running backs are a luxury more than ever in this league, not a necessity. This gives teams far more leverage than the position players when it comes to contract demands.
The top five highest-paid running backs in the league belong to the following teams in order from one to five. Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans. What do these five teams have in common?
No non-biased NFL fan is betting big money that any of those teams will win the Super Bowl in 2020. Many would argue the Cowboys were much better when Ezekiel Elliott was on his rookie deal and the team had cap space to pay the offensive line.
Chubb, who has had a much better career than Cook thus far, will be in the same situation after the 2020 season. He will be heading into the final year of his rookie contract and will be severely underpaid. With a $2 million salary in 2020 and a $2.4 million salary in 2021, a team would likely pay Chubb $10-12 million per year in free agency.
This is a biased opinion, but Chubb seems like a team player and I’m not convinced he will be a guy to make a fuss. But one thing in the NFL is true, get paid if you can get paid. You never know how long you will be able to play such a violent game.
If the Browns are serious in resigning Chubb, they need to act now. Sign a reasonable 3- or 4-year extension and know he will likely move on after that. Once he runs for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2020, the price tag will be too high to retain him.
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Chubb is a wonderful football player, and many will be sad to see him go. But there is no chance Andrew Berry is going to overpay a running back when he has Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield, and Denzel Ward who will also need extensions in more critical positions. Long story short, enjoy Chubb while the Browns have him. He is a hard worker and an impossible guy to not root for.