Once the 2025 draft had taken place, it was essentially guaranteed Nick Chubb would find himself on a new team this season. That is now officially the case, with his one-year Texans pact in place. 
Chubb will collect a base value of $2.5MM, and incentives will allow him to double that figure. It comes as no surprise the four-time Pro Bowler was only able to land a pact of that nature given the uncertainty surrounding his health status. Chubb managed to briefly return from his massive knee injury in 2024, but his showing when on the field fell well short of his previous production.
That was a key factor in the expectation Cleveland would move on this offseason. Shortly after the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry all-but confirmed Chubb would not be back for an eighth season with the team. Few eyebrows were raised once it became clear the 29-year-old was headed to Houston as a result, but Cleveland did engage in talks about a new deal in this case.
The Browns discussed a re-signing with Chubb and his camp prior to the draft, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Team and player were unable to reach agreement, though, and in the wake of that development Cleveland’s attention turned to the highly-regarded pool of RBs in this year’s class. The team wound up adding Quinshon Judkins in the second round and then Dylan Sampson in the fourth. Both of them are now in place for the next four years as a result.
The Browns also have Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as returnees from last year. Ford in particular should have a notable role in 2025, but a new Chubb agreement would have allowed him to continue operating as a key member of the backfield. Retaining the latter is something Myles Garrett lobbied for during his offseason talks with Berry, as Garrett recently noted (via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi). Conversations related to the direction of the franchise were part of Garrett’s offseason, one in which his trade request was rescinded in the wake of a $40MM-per-year extension being worked out.
No agreement came to bear in Chubb’s case, however, leaving him to remain on the open market deep into free agency. The four-time 1,000-yard rusher will look to regain his previous form in Houston while the Browns attempt to find an effective short- and long-term replacement for him in the backfield.