There are going to be some interesting moves made by the Cleveland Browns this offseason in order to try and save some major cap space ahead of the 2025 season.
General manager Andrew Berry and company need to figure out how, if possible, to get far below the $23 million deficit the team currently holds. That's thanks in major part to the very contract Berry gave to quarterback Deshaun Watson when the team traded for him back in 2021, and they're certainly experiencing the consequences of that move now.
With several key players hitting free agency next month, it'll be important for Cleveland to lock up players on the offensive line and on defense that provided much needed depth to an injury-riddled team in 2024. But, one big name - Nick Chubb - doesn't seem to be a priority signing for the Browns.
Berry reveals Chubb's free agency status during NFL combine press conference
As shared by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com from the ground at the NFL combine, Berry told reporters that the Browns' fan favorite running back would be hitting free agency as opposed to getting an immediately new deal with the team.
"I do expect Nick to hit the market. Obviously, his contract is up this year. We'll meet with his reps and everything like that, but it's obviously something we need to work on with him for the next couple of weeks," said Berry during a media scrum on Tuesday.
Chubb is 29 years old, and normally that'd mean he's an obvious priority to be re-signed in terms of the age of running backs and their value in the NFL historically. But, Chubb is coming back off yet another lower body injury - a broken foot at the tail end of 2024 - after also returning from yet another catastrophic knee injury suffered in 2023.
Read more: Newest free agent rankings have Nick Chubb in unfortunate tier
With two major knee surgeries and now a foot injury, it's hard to imagine a world where Chubb can be a legitimately explosive backfield threat in the same way he was prior to that knee injury in 2023. That's why Berry is likely comfortable allowing Chubb to test the market.
If he's not liking what he's seeing out there, or if he's seeing comparable offers to what Cleveland is presenting, then he'll likely want to re-sign with the Browns on a team-friendly deal. Or, if he somehow receives an amazing contract, then the Browns will have done right by him by allowing him to explore another opportunity to revitalize his career.
Cleveland can also try to land a replacement for Chubb in free agency, but it'll be hard to snag anyone great with their cap situation yet to be alleviated. The draft, it seems, can also offer a solution given how deep it is at running back this year.
Either way, it seems like Chubb is about to set the market for running backs in similar situations to him: those who have proven to be All Pro backs in the past, but have suffered enough injuries to place a permanent question mark on their potential production in the future.