Nick Chubb Gets the Cleveland Goodbye His Career Deserved

The first time Nick Chubb left Cleveland, it was on a bad foot at the end of a season wrecked by injuries, and the Browns didn't bring him back. On Friday he came back on his own terms, signed his retirement as a Brown, and said this felt like the proper ending.

Cleveland is where my journey started, and this is where it's going to end today.

Chubb is 30. He announced in August that he was done after eight seasons, and the team will honor him at Sunday's home opener.

Only two Browns ran for more

Cleveland drafted him 35th overall out of Georgia in 2018. He had four straight 1,000-yard seasons starting in 2019, topped out at 1,525 in 2022, and finished with 6,843 yards as a Brown. Only Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly have more. Over his first five years, no running back averaged more per carry than his 5.2, and only Derrick Henry gained more yards or scored more rushing touchdowns.

Then came Week 2 of 2023 against Pittsburgh and a devastating left knee injury. He missed the rest of that year and the start of the next, came back for eight games in 2024, and broke his foot in Week 15. His last season was in Houston in 2025, with 506 yards and three touchdowns.

Chubb spent his final season, 2025, with the Houston Texans.

Chubb was honest about why he stopped. He said he didn't really feel like playing football once it wasn't for Cleveland, and that he thought he'd done what he could. He called his first exit a sad ending and said being back in the building, healthy and walking around, was better closure for everyone.

His favorite memory was the 2020 wild-card upset in Pittsburgh. He said that COVID season was a mess but it was the most fun he had.