The Carolina Panthers have come to terms on a new 4 year extension with running back Chuba Hubbard the club announced on Thursday.
Hubbard, who currently leads the team with 665 yards rushing and 5 TDs, will receive $15M in fully guaranteed money, on a $33M deal which could reach as high as $37.2M if all incentives are reached. The new pact will keep him under team control through the 2028 NFL season.
Originally taken in the 4th round, 126th overall, by the Panthers in the 2021 NFL Draft, Hubbard is one of the most decorated Canadian running backs in recent memory. He was named 2019 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year while at Oklahoma State, was a unanimous All-American, and was the recipient of the 2019 Jon Cornish trophy as the top Canadian player in the NCAA.
Since joining the league, the Edmonton born back has accumulated 2,645 yards on the ground to go along with 17 TDs. No small feat given the dismal state of the Panthers roster since he broke into the NFL.
Across 4 NFL campaigns, Carolina has gone 5-12, 7-10, 2-15, and are currently tied for the worst record in the league at 2-7. All in all, there haven’t been many “run heavy” scripts for the 25 year old throughout his professional career to date.
The new deal rewards Hubbard for his production behind a leaky offensive line, while also shoring up a talented player for the foreseeable future. Something that Carolina’s depleted roster desperately needs.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after the team activated 2nd round pick Jonathon Brooks off the injured reserve. Carolina selected the former Texas Longhorn as the 1st running back off the board, 46th overall, during this springs NFL Draft.
Many scouts believe he was the most complete back available in the draft, and that had it not been for an ACL injury, he would have easily been a 1st round pick. Hubbard’s new deal seems to indicate that the club will be committed to using multiple backs moving forward on offence.
With Hubbard’s deal out of the way, insiders believe the Panthers front office will now turn their attention to CB Jaycee Horn who will be needing a new deal of his own in the near future. Carolina travels to Munich to take on the New York Giants as part of the NFL’s Global Series this Sunday.
Photo: Roland Arhelger. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.