Browns: 3 reasons the Nick Chubb signing was a great thing

His deal is much more affordable than others of his skillset

There were a lot of questions about how much Nick Chubb was going to be worth if and when he got his new contract. We saw how badly it went for guys like Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Jackson, who have failed to live up to their contracts and in Jackson’s case, never will. Then we saw Christian McCaffery sign a massive deal and basically miss the 2020 season. So there were concerns.

Chubb is trying to buck that trend.

While we’d all be happy with $36.6 million, Chubb took considerably less than other elite runners at his position. While his per year is pretty standard for a guy of his caliber ($12.2 million), he’s either tied with or behind Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Elliot, Alvin Kamara, and McCaffery for total contract value. They all got deals that were either $20 million more or twice the value of Chubb’s deal.

That’s due to Chubb taking fewer years and electing not to defer cash to later dates that he may not see. Kamara for instance has a moderate contract until its final year, where it leaps from a base salary of $10 million to $22.4 million.

There’s every chance the Saints cut Kamara in 2024 and get out of the contract. In fact, you can place a bet that they’ll cut him after the 2023 season. That was a bad business decision by Kamara’s agent. Chubb is no dummy, he had to know that there was a chance he’ll get cut the longer the contract goes.

This is no longer an issue, and because he took less potential cash, he’ll more than likely end up making as much of his contract as possible, since it never leaps to a huge number like Kamara’s