Days after scoring their first win of the 2026 season, the Cleveland Browns are keeping the good vibes going this week.
Team managing partner JW Johnson announced Thursday that running back Nick Chubb will return to Berea on Friday to sign a one-day contract and officially retire as a Brown.
That moment will come nearly three years to the day after Chubb’s prolific NFL career was derailed by the gruesome knee injury he suffered during Week 2 of the 2023 regular season at Pittsburgh.
“Nick epitomizes what it means to be a Brown and I’ve been honored to be able to watch him practice,” Johnson said on Thursday during the team’s internal Browns Daily Show. “I remember looking at guys like: ‘We get to watch greatness every day.’ … I hated it when Nick left, and sometimes that’s the business of football unfortunately. I’m glad that he got an opportunity to go to Houston and play some winning football. But we are honored and privileged to have Nick come back tomorrow. He’s going to officially retire as a Cleveland Brown.”
The Cleveland Browns’ home opener is about to get an emotional boost
Chubb will attend practice on Friday and will also be honored at the game on Sunday. Per Browns writer Scott Petrak, he’ll be the Dawg Pound captain and smash the guitar prior to kickoff.
The Browns need all the positive energy possible in what will be Deshaun Watson’s first home game since October 2024. To say fans were underwhelmed with the team’s decision to run it back with Watson at quarterback this season would be a major understatement, and if this summer’s preseason slate was any indication, Watson’s reception from the Dawg Pound faithful will be anything but pleasant.
That’s what makes Chubb the team's perfect guest of honor. There might not be a more universally loved and respected player in modern Browns history.
Nick Chubb’s Browns reunion comes at the perfect time for Quinshon Judkins
Many fans probably wish that Chubb was signing a one-year contract to actually play for the Browns again.
That was an actual talking point back in March, with Chubb coming off a 500-yard rushing season with the Texans, and Cleveland planning to field an extremely young running back room led by second-year pros Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.
As it stands, Sampson is on injured reserve with a knee injury, and Judkins is struggling to the tune of a 2.3 yards-per-carry average that ranks among the worst in football.
Chubb announced his retirement on Instagram back in August, and he said that he had known for a while that the 2025 season was the end. Whatever post-football endeavors he has in store remain to be seen, but as a potential mentor, this weekend’s visit could work wonders for Judkins in what should be a plus matchup to get what has been a stagnant Browns rushing attack going. The visiting Carolina Panthers currently rank 32nd in rushing yards allowed per game.
The running game was never an issue during Chubb’s career. He never averaged less than 5 yards per carry in a season until 2024, when he returned from his knee injury and played in eight games.
Week 15 against Kansas City wound up being Chubb's final home game, and his departure in free agency that offseason never felt right.
In that sense, Friday’s celebration — and Sunday's game at Huntington Bank Field in particular — should hit home for all the right reasons.
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