Nick Chubb to sign one-day contract with Browns and retire as a Cleveland player

Browns schedule Chubb's one-day return and retirement

The Cleveland Browns said on September 24, 2026, that running back Nick Chubb would be in the team facility on Friday to sign a one-day contract and formally retire as a Brown. The announcement came roughly a month after Chubb said publicly on August 21, 2026, that he was ending his playing career, writing on social media that "Today's the day I've been avoiding for a while" and that he wanted "to end my career on a healthy note, along with a winning season." Chubb was set to address reporters in Cleveland on Friday afternoon following the signing, according to Pro Football Talk.

A career anchored in Cleveland

Chubb was selected by the Browns with the 35th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Georgia and spent the first seven of his eight professional seasons with the franchise. He was named to four Pro Bowls during that span and became one of the most productive rushers in team history. According to Pro Football Talk, he finished his Cleveland tenure with 6,843 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns, placing him third on the franchise's all-time rushing list behind Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly. Pro Football Talk also noted that Chubb is one of only four players in NFL history to retire having averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry on more than 1,000 attempts, alongside Jim Brown, Joe Perry and Jamaal Charles.

Production peak and injury-shortened final stretch

CBS Sports detailed Chubb's statistical prime, showing that he came within four rushing yards of 1,000 as a rookie in 2018 and then cleared that threshold in each of his next four seasons. The outlet tabulated 1,494 rushing yards in 2019, 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2020, 1,259 yards in 2021, and a career-best 1,525 yards with 12 touchdowns in 2022, along with at least eight rushing touchdowns in each of his first five years. That run was interrupted in 2023, when Chubb tore his MCL and sustained damage to his ACL just two games into the season, costing him the remainder of that year and nearly all of 2024. He returned to play eight games in 2024 before a broken foot ended his season.

Final season in Houston

The Browns did not re-sign Chubb after 2024, and he agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Texans for 2025. CBS Sports reported that Chubb started nine of 15 games in Houston, totaling 122 carries for 506 yards and three touchdowns while sharing work with rookie Woody Marks. The Texans advanced to the AFC divisional round that season. Chubb became a free agent again after the Texans campaign and announced his retirement this summer before the planned return to Cleveland.

Next steps

Chubb was scheduled to sign his one-day contract and speak with the media in Cleveland on Friday, September 25, 2026, formally closing his playing career with the franchise that drafted him.