Nick Chubb spent 7 seasons in Cleveland establishing himself as one of the most beloved players in recent Browns history, and even after his departure to Houston last offseason, the bond between Chubb and the city he called home for nearly a decade remains as strong as ever. The devastating knee injury he suffered in 2023 threatened to derail his career entirely, but in a recent reflection on that difficult period, Chubb revealed just how much the love from Browns fans meant to him during his recovery.
Chubb opened up about exactly what carried him through one of the toughest stretches of his professional life.
“I mean, just the support of the city of Cleveland. I mean, I have closets full of notes and letters from schools, people, from fans all across the world. You know, I still have it all packed up and I mean, just tremendous support and love from everyone,” Chubb said.
Former #Browns RB Nick Chubb said letters and notes from fans that he received after his knee injury helped him through the mental aspect of his rehab.
He still has those letters. pic.twitter.com/FFZqVW7qfW
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) June 18, 2026
Closets full of letters. That detail alone captures something special about the relationship Chubb built with Browns fans over the course of his career. People across the country, including entire school classrooms, took the time to write to a player recovering from a serious injury, and Chubb valued those gestures enough to keep every single one of them.
The injury itself was as serious as it gets for a running back. Chubb suffered a significant knee injury during the 2023 season that required extensive surgery and an arduous rehabilitation process, the kind of setback that ends careers for players with less determination. He fought back from that injury and returned to action, ultimately finishing out his Browns tenure before signing with the Houston Texans in 2025, where he carried the ball 122 times for 506 yards and 3 touchdowns across 15 games last season.
Across 7 seasons with the Browns, he rushed for 6,843 yards and 51 touchdowns on 1,340 carries, earning 3 Pro Bowl selections and an All-Pro nod along the way. He was the kind of physical, downhill runner that Cleveland fans have always gravitated toward, a player who ran with an edge and represented the city’s blue-collar identity on every single carry.
That kind of connection between a player and a fan base is increasingly rare in professional sports, where roster turnover and business decisions often overshadow the human element of the game.
Chubb’s reflection on those letters and that support shows that his time in Cleveland left a permanent mark on him, just as he left one on the city. Browns fans who wrote those notes may never know exactly how much their words meant, but Chubb made it clear that he has never forgotten.
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