There seems to be no hostility between the Cleveland Browns star players — in fact, quite the opposite.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper spent a lot of money to welcome running back Nick Chubb back into the team after months of surgeries and rehab on his badly injured knee. The present was a diamond-encrusted Batman symbol with the words “Batman Returns” on the back.
The The Browns' official account posted a short video of Chubb showing off the gift over the weekend.
“This is awesome 😮💨,” Cleveland’s social media team wrote in the caption. “@AmariCooper9 blessed @NickChubb with the Batman bling 🥶.”
Nick Chubb’s Batman Origin Story Goes Back to First Serious Knee Injury
GettyRunning back Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns.
Chubb’s connection with Batman began after the first major injury of his career in 2015 while he was a college athlete at the University of Georgia. After hurting his knee, Chubb found inspiration from the movie, “The Dark Knight Rises,” which is the third part of director Christopher Nolan’s series about the superhero, featuring actor Christian Bale as the main character.
As per an article by Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal from late December 2020, a quote from the film’s main villain Bane — played by an actor — and said to the Batman character had an impact on Chubb. Tom Hardy “Victory has defeated you,” Bane said.
“I remember I was feeling great, coming off a good [freshman] season, confident, excelling in everything, and he said that, and I believe he was talking to me,” Chubb told Ulrich.
The motivation Chubb drew from the film, and specifically from that quote, stuck with him. Eventually, so did the nickname.
Amari Cooper, Nick Chubb May Have Very Different Futures With Browns
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper.
GettyNow, after more than eight years, Chubb has to find a way to rise again — just like he did after his injury at Georgia before becoming a second-round pick for the Browns and a four-time Pro Bowler in the NFL.
This phase in Chubb’s career has been made more chaotic by the fact that he was entering the final year of a three-year contract valued at
$36.6 million in 2024 before agreeing to a restructured deal to stay in Cleveland. Chubb, who might not be healthy enough to start the season for the Browns, is now playing on a contract worth only $2.275 million . The RB can earn back all the money he gave up through incentives, but that will be tough if injury limits his time on the field.Meanwhile, Cooper is heading into the final year of a five-year deal worth
$100 million that he originally signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. The Browns owe Cooper $20 million in salary in 2024, and he carries a cap hit of $23.7 million Considering his cap hit and his outstanding performance over two seasons in Cleveland, Cooper is a strong contender for an extension that will guarantee him a lot more money over several years while also reducing his financial impact on the team..
The situation could cause bad feelings between two important players for the Browns. One of them is set to get paid while the other, who has been with the team longer, is playing for his job at a big discount.
But there doesn't seem to be any jealousy in Cleveland between Cooper and Chubb, which is good for the team's chances of making it to the playoffs this season.
It seems like there's no hostility between the star players of the Cleveland Browns — actually, it's the opposite.
