Hubbard signed a four-year, $33.2 million contract with a $7.53 million signing bonus and $16.45 million guaranteed.

Saquon Barkley was in a league of his own during the 2024 campaign, helping the Philadelphia Eagles get over the hump to win another Super Bowl. The NFC East franchise rewarded the running back accordingly with a bumper new extension.

Something that also proved the Carolina Panthers timed their deal with Chuba Hubbard perfectly.

Hubbard isn’t in Barkley’s league, of course. However, the newly crowned NFL Offensive Player of the Year raised the bar for running backs around the league thanks to a historic financial commitment given to him by the Eagles.

Barkley’s new agreement makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. This didn’t go unnoticed by the likes of James Cook from the Buffalo Bills, who is also looking for a new deal and will add more dollars to his demands in the wake of this development.

That’s of no concern to the Panthers. They recognized Hubbard was a big part of the team’s future and got a new contract sorted ahead of the game. It avoided unnecessary complications and kept one of their top performers around long-term.

Carolina Panthers got ahead of the game with Chuba Hubbard contract extension

Had they waited until the offseason or were still looking to extend him after Barkley’s extension, the price would have only gone up.

Hubbard signed a four-year, $33.2 million contract with a $7.53 million signing bonus and $16.45 million guaranteed. This is nothing more than the Oklahoma State product deserved after remaining professional to fight his way into a prominent position on and off the field. Morgan deserves praise for acknowledging his efforts and having a good feel for how things were going to develop in the running back market.