Browns are expected to part ways with their $60 million All-Pro and reduce Nick Chubb’s pay

The Cleveland Browns are poised to be a perennial contender for several years, but they must make some difficult financial decisions in the future offseasons.

On Monday, January 15, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell penned a deep dive into what lies ahead for the Browns in the coming months, concluding with some certainty that the organization will part ways with two-time All-Pro right tackle Jack Conklin. Barnwell also stated that the team will most likely ask running back Nick Chubb to accept a pay cut.

“After next season, [Amari] Cooper, [Jedrick] Wills, cornerback Greg Newsome, and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will all be free agents,” Barnwell wrote. “[The Browns] will be missing significant draft capital as a result of the trade for [Deshaun] Watson, as well as multiple cost-controlled starters, which means they’ll have to go out and find those guys in free agency.”

They’ll most certainly fire Conklin and ask running back Chubb to take a pay cut this offseason, but if no changes are made, this could be the best version of the Browns for the next few years.

Conklin, Jack Not in good enough shape to justify current contract with Browns

Conklin was an All-Pro in his debut season with the Browns after joining from the Tennessee Titans. He has, however, suffered major injuries since then.

Due to major elbow and knee injuries, the Browns’ primary tackle missed all but seven games in 2021. Conklin returned the next year, competing in 14 of 17 events. However, he tore his MCL and ACL in the first half of the team’s season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals in September, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

Conklin signed a four-year, $60 million contract deal with the Browns in December 2022, keeping him under contract until 2026. According to Over The ceiling, Cleveland can cut Conklin after June 1, which will cost the team $13 million in dead money and save the Browns nothing against the 2024 salary ceiling. The shift, however, would save Cleveland $15 million in 2025 and 2026.

Trading Conklin after June 1 is the best option for the Browns since it moves $5.5 million of dead money into the cap-savings area while costing the organization $7.5 million in dead money. Conklin’s contract savings and dead money over the next four years would be the same if Cleveland released him this summer.

The problem with a trade is that any team interested would have to take on a large deal for a player who has shown no ability to stay on the field over the last three seasons. Conklin, 30, will play in his seventh NFL season in 2024.

The Browns also have rookie Dawand Jones on the roster, a fourth-round pick who played well in Conklin’s absence until an MCL injury interrupted his season, making Conklin more disposable.

Nick Chubb, the Browns’ running back, will enter the final year of his contract in 2024.

Only one game following Conklin, Chubb sustained a season-ending knee injury that required two operations to fix. Each of the previous four years, the running back was named to the Pro Bowl.

Despite playing at an exceptional level in Cleveland since being drafted in the second round (35th overall) in 2018, Chubb will not be immune to the Browns’ harsh financial realities. The 28-year-old running back is under contract for three years and $36.6 million until the 2024 season.

Last summer, Chubb’s Bengals rival Joe Mixon accepted a $3 million pay cut to stay in Cincinnati, while Aaron Jones sacrificed $5 million to stay with the Green Bay Packers.

If Chubb is unwilling to accept a pay cut, the Browns have Jerome Ford as a backup. According to Pro Football Reference, the second-year running back rushed for 813 yards and four touchdowns while also catching 44 passes for 319 yards and five scores.