Structure of Nick Chubb's contract incentives reveal they planned for missed time all along

The news broke today that the Cleveland Browns will not activate Nick Chubb from the Physically Unable to Perform list in time for their Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

This means that Chubb must miss at least the first four games of the season before he can be designated for return. He then has five weeks to begin practicing and three weeks to be placed on the 53-man roster. However, looking at the incentive structure of his contract that was reworked by both sides this offseason, it appears both parties anticipated a slow return to the field in 2024.

NFL Network’s Ian Rappoport has reported that while most incentive-laden contracts require a full 17-game season to qualify, the Browns and Chubb worked to get that number down to 12. This would indicate from Chubb’s side that he wanted some leeway to still hit his incentives, and from the Browns’ side, it gave them an indication that he would not be ready for Week 1.

In the meantime, the Browns will once again rely on Jerome Ford, adding D’Onta Foreman to the mix as well.