Nick Chubb has spent most of his football life chasing the version of himself that had nothing to lose. Now, after eight NFL seasons and a career that made him one of the Cleveland Browns’ most beloved players, he admits that version is getting harder to find.
That is the strange part of success for Chubb. The money, the NFL career and everything that came with it gave him plenty to be grateful for, however, it also took away some of the desperation that once pushed him through brutal workouts as a kid in Cedartown, Georgia.
Nick Chubb Opens Up About Finding His Old Hunger AgainJun 10, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb (21) participates in a drill during an NFL football minicamp at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn ImagesChubb recently explained how difficult it has become to recreate the mindset he had in high school, when he was working out three times a day and had none of the comforts that came with becoming a professional athlete. He knows he can not simply flip a switch and become that same teenager again.
Instead, Chubb has found another way to reconnect with him. He returns home.
“I remember how hungry I was as a high school kid, and it’s so hard for me to tap into that mindset again. I can’t be that hungry kid that worked out three times a day mentally. I just can’t, because I have a lot of things now. I’m successful.
That’s the closest thing I can do to feel like I’m still that high school kid, go back to my hometown with Mikey Worthington, in the same weight room when I had nothing. That’s the same place I had nothing in. It’s the same coach who was there who believed in me as a young kid.
To go back and just feel all that again, it works magic for me…..”
Nick Chubb explains how one of the hardest parts of becoming successful is that he literally can't recreate the hunger he had when he was broke and working out three times a day
“I remember how hungry I was as a high school kid, and it’s so hard for me to tap into that mindset… pic.twitter.com/m4apRmXzdf
— Josh Chambers (@JoshChambers) August 31, 2026
Back in the same weight room where he trained as a young player, alongside longtime coach Mikey Worthington, Chubb says he can almost feel that old hunger again. The surroundings have not changed much. Neither has Worthington’s willingness to push him when he needs it.
That connection matters even more now that Chubb has officially walked away from football at 30. The former Browns star retired after the 2025 season with the Houston Texans, finishing an eight-year career with 7,349 rushing yards, 54 rushing touchdowns, and four Pro Bowl selections. His final season was not the dominant version of Chubb that the Browns fans remembered; however, it gave him something else he wanted: a healthy finish and a winning season.
Still, the mental side of staying driven never really disappeared. Chubb explained that returning to Cedartown gives him a reminder of where everything started. He can step into the same environment where he had nothing, then let Worthington challenge him when the weights get heavy.
For a player who built his reputation on consistency, physicality, and an almost stubborn work ethic, the admission is surprisingly revealing. Chubb is not pretending that success doesn’t change you. He simply found a way to use his past to keep himself moving forward.
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