Canadian running back Chuba Hubbard has signed a four-year contract extension with the Carolina Panthers worth a reported $33.2 million. According to Ian Rapoport, the deal includes $15 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $37.2 million. He was set to become a free agent after this season.
The native of Sherwood Park, Alta. has made nine starts for the Panthers this year, recording 133 carries for 665 yards — an average of five yards per carry — and five touchdowns. He has also made 26 receptions for 108 yards and one score.
The six-foot-one, 210-pound ball-carrier was selected by Carolina in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State University. He has since made 33 starts over 58 games with the team, rushing for 2,645 yards, making 104 catches for 686 yards, and scoring 19 total touchdowns.
Hubbard led the entire NCAA with 2,094 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore in 2019 and was named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He finished eighth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college football, but failed to match that production in 2020 as he fought through injury.
The 25-year-old’s CFL rights belong to the Calgary Stampeders, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 CFL Draft. He first drew the attention of American collegiate scouts when he played at Bev Facey Community High School in his hometown, rushing 458 times for 6,880 yards and 82 touchdowns over three years.
The Panthers (2-7) will host the New York Giants (2-7) at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on Sunday, Nov. 10 with kickoff slated for 9:30 a.m. EST.
