Nick Chubb has enjoyed a great deal of success over the course of his career with the Cleveland Browns after the team invested the No. 35 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on the former University of Georgia standout.
During his first five seasons in Cleveland, Chubb was an absolute force to be reckoned with when the ball was in his hands as he recorded over 6,300 yards rushing and 48 touchdowns from 2018-2022. Unfortunately, as Browns fans know, the last two seasons were marred by injuries and kept Chubb off of the field for all but 10 of the 34 regular-season games played by Cleveland.
Fast forward to today and Chubb is an unrestricted free agent still looking for his next home within the NFL. Now that the draft has come and gone, the market for free agent running backs like Chubb is a bit clearer and, while the door is not closed on a potential return to Cleveland, one team is reportedly intrigued by adding the veteran to their running back room.
During Monday's episode of The Ken Carman Show on 92.3 The Fan, Carman raised the question of whether Browns fans were ready to move on from Chubb before noting that Chubb is getting 'close' with another team.
“Are we ready to say goodbye to Nick Chubb? I heard he is kind of getting close to another team," Carman said. "It happens to be in the NFC North.”
“Are we ready to say goodbye to Nick Chubb? I heard he is kind of getting close to another team…it happens to be in the NFC North.”
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 28, 2025
🎙️ @KenCarman to @SportsBoyTony on the #Browns additions of RBs Judkins/Sampson, what it means for Chubb 🏈⤵️
🔊 Listen: https://t.co/ZippVE2gUH pic.twitter.com/I5tbbYrmcM
The immediate question that comes to mind is which NFC North team Carman is referring to and, while it is simply an educated guess, the Chicago Bears immediately come to mind as a potential landing spot for Chubb.
With Ben Johnson taking over as Chicago's head coach following a successful run as the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, the Bears look to be attempting to build an offensive attack in the same mold as the Lions, and Chubb could fill a David Montgomery-like role for Chicago alongside a speedster in D'Andre Swift. The fact that the Bears have an out option in Swift's contract following the 2025 campaign gives them added flexibility at that position as well.
While the Minnesota Vikings could be an option, they seem less likely to be the mystery NFC North team referenced by Carman as their running back situation is more set in stone with Aaron Jones under contract as the team's lead back through 2026.
As Carman alluded, the additions of Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the draft reshaped the depth chart for Cleveland at that position to the point where Chubb feels he could be best served continuing his career elsewhere.
We'll find out soon enough just where Chubb winds up as he is still far too valuable of a running back to not be part of the fold for a team during the 2025 campaign.