Chuba Hubbard's rags-to-riches Panthers journey rewarded with new deal

The Carolina Panthers have long been associated with letting good players leave when they still had so much more to offer. General manager Dan Morgan is looking to change all that.

Fans have been impressed overall by Morgan's moves so far. The Panthers have some solid young pieces to build around. They also avoided any unnecessary complications by extending Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown way ahead of time.

Now, another cornerstone piece will be part of the team's plans.

Carolina Panthers extending Chuba Hubbard is the right call

After resisting the temptation to trade Chuba Hubbard before the deadline, Morgan acted swiftly to tie down the running back. According to Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network, the former fourth-round selection out of Oklahoma State signed a four-year, $33.2 million extension to stick around long-term.

The senior insider added that the deal includes a maximum value of $37.2 million and $15 million of new guaranteed money. Something the player richly deserves after rising from relative obscurity to become Carolina's offensive focal point.

Things looked incredibly bleak for Hubbard once upon a time. He was chosen at No. 126 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft thanks in no small part to Matt Rhule's wife. That became a source of great ridicule after the player's rookie struggles when deputizing for the injured Christian McCaffrey.

It's been an upward trend ever since. Hubbard and D'Onta Foreman became a formidable rushing tandem under interim head coach Steve Wilks once Rhule was mercifully fired in 2022. He began the 2023 campaign as No. 2 to Miles Sanders but quickly unseated the marquee free-agent signing from the starting role.

Hubbard has thrived in no uncertain terms this season. He's benefitting greatly from the rushing lanes being carved up by Carolina's revamped offensive line and looks well on course for his first 1,000-yard rushing year. His elite mentality and emerging leadership have been praised constantly by head coach Dave Canales. He now gets the chance to spearhead this franchise's renaissance.

Not many thought this was feasible, especially after the Panthers traded up to No. 46 overall in the 2023 draft for Jonathon Brooks. The second-rounder was expected to take over the mantle despite recovering from a torn ACL. On the eve of the rookie's return to the roster, Carolina made a significant statement where Hubbard was concerned.

This will be a tandem moving forward. A prolific one-two punch that the Panthers haven't had since DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart took the league by storm.

If Hubbard and Brooks go on to achieve something similar, it won't be much longer before this organization starts being competitive.

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