Nick Chubb Signs Ceremonial One-Day Deal to Retire as a Cleveland Brown

Nick Chubb signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Cleveland Browns on Friday at the team's Berea, Ohio, training facility, officially closing an eight-season NFL career on the terms both he and the franchise wanted. The Browns confirmed the retirement in a team statement, eight years after selecting Chubb 35th overall out of Georgia in the 2018 draft. He spent seven of his eight NFL seasons in Cleveland and one with the Houston Texans, and the ceremonial paperwork lets him retire as a Brown rather than as a free agent who simply walked away.

The team will hold a second, public tribute on Sunday, when Chubb is honored in a pregame ceremony at Huntington Bank Field before Cleveland's home opener against the Carolina Panthers, part of this weekend's Week 3 schedule. Both clubs arrive at 1-1, and Carolina's trip to Cleveland kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.

Chubb's path to Cleveland was itself shaped by injury. A four-year starter at Georgia, he tore three ligaments in his left knee during his sophomore season in 2015, an injury severe enough that some evaluators questioned whether he would ever regain his pre-injury explosiveness. He did, running for more than 4,700 yards over his final three college seasons, but the medical history was enough to drop him to the second round in 2018 despite talent that many scouts had rated among the best in that draft class.

The Numbers

Chubb finishes his career with 7,349 rushing yards, 1,109 receiving yards and 59 total touchdowns across 100 games, totals built almost entirely in a six-year stretch before injuries slowed him down. In Cleveland alone he ran for 6,843 yards and 51 touchdowns, both third in franchise history behind only Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, and he made four consecutive Pro Bowls from 2019 through 2022, earning second-team All-Pro honors in that final healthy season. His lone year in Houston, by contrast, produced 506 yards and three touchdowns on 122 carries across 15 games, a diminished but by his own account satisfying close to a career he never expected to end this way.

Two Surgeries, One Brutal Stretch

Chubb's decline traces directly to Week 2 of the 2023 season, when he went down against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a torn MCL and a damaged ACL in the same knee he had hurt years earlier at Georgia. He underwent two reconstructive surgeries that fall, one in September to repair the medial capsule, meniscus and MCL and a second in November to rebuild the ACL, and missed the rest of that season. He returned for 2024 but broke his foot in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, ending that year early as well. Cleveland let him leave in free agency after the season, and Chubb signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with Houston for 2025, a fraction of the value he once commanded, in what amounted to an audition to prove he could still play a full, healthy season.

A Farewell Eight Years in the Making

He announced his retirement on August 21, telling fans he wanted to close his career on a healthy note and with a winning season, and that Houston had given him both. What he did not get in 2025 was a sendoff in Cleveland, and the Browns spent the weeks since arranging Friday's signing and Sunday's ceremony to fill that gap. General manager Andrew Berry said in the team's statement that Chubb was the gold standard for performance, professionalism and leadership over his seven years in Cleveland, and team executive JW Johnson said Chubb embodies everything the organization looks for in a player and a person, adding that fans at Huntington Bank Field would be fired up to see him recognized Sunday.

"I love Cleveland. It's a second home to me. Ever since I stepped foot into the city, I've felt nothing but love and positivity. The decision to retire a Brown was an easy one. The Browns have the best fans in football. There were some memorable experiences with the Dawg Pound that I'll never forget."

For a fan base that watched Chubb absorb hit after hit as one of the league's most physical runners, the ceremony closes a chapter that many in Cleveland felt was left unfinished when he departed in free agency. Through years of quarterback turnover, coaching changes and playoff near-misses, Chubb had become one of the few constants in the building, and local coverage of Friday's announcement noted the outpouring from former teammates and fans since the news broke Thursday.

What Happens Next

Chubb is not expected to take on a formal front-office or broadcasting role immediately, and neither the Browns nor Chubb has announced plans beyond Sunday's ceremony. The Browns' backfield now belongs to Quinshon Judkins, who has taken over as Cleveland's primary running back this season, and the team has been careful to frame Sunday as a celebration of Chubb's career rather than any kind of handoff. Chubb is expected to remain in Cleveland through the weekend for the pregame tribute before returning to private life, a conclusion that follows directly from the retirement announcement he made in August. Whether the Browns eventually retire his number or induct him into a team ring of honor has not been addressed publicly, though Friday's ceremony and Sunday's tribute suggest the organization intends to keep Chubb close for years to come.

In his statement, Chubb singled out ownership and front-office leadership by name, thanking Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Whitney and JW Johnson, and Berry for what he described as an organization that welcomed him with open arms through what he called a life-changing decision. That level of specificity, uncommon in standard retirement statements, underscored how deliberately both sides treated Friday's signing: not a transaction, but a formal closing of the book on a career that spanned multiple head coaches and starting quarterbacks in Cleveland.