Insider says Panthers don't want to trade Chuba Hubbard

The Carolina Panthers have a good problem to have: two starting-caliber running backs. When he's fully healthy and not bogged down by whatever is currently bothering him, Chuba Hubbard is almost Pro Bowl-level. Rico Dowdle set records as the starter earlier this year.

That doesn't even factor in Trevor Etienne as a solid backup and, in theory, Jonathon Brooks coming back healthy next season. It's a loaded backfield that needs to be cleared up. The Panthers reportedly aren't going to do that by moving on from Hubbard, but that might be the best answer here.

Panthers aren't moving Chuba Hubbard

Rico Dowdl — Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Panthers are not going to move Chuba Hubbard for a variety of reasons. First, teams are reportedly not as interested in a back who's not as good this year and who carries a decently lucrative extension for a running back. He's far from overpaid, but it's not a cheap, easy addition to make while also parting with a pick.

Joe Person of The Athletic also reported, "I’m told the Panthers don’t want to move Hubbard, who was one of the guys Canales leaned on while establishing a culture during his first season. The Panthers gave Hubbard a four-year, $33.2 million extension last year that includes a $4 million guaranteed salary this year and $4.5 million guaranteed in 2026."

The money's not bad for a nearly 1,200-yard rusher from last year, and it's not nearly enough to warrant moving on at all costs. Hubbard could return to form, but either way, he works as a complement to Dowdle, and the Panthers like the two-back approach.

They might want to trade him, though, and extend Dowdle. It's clear Dowdle has a gear Hubbard does not, and the alternative is to lose the better back to free agency for nothing, since Dowdle, even on an expiring contract, won't be traded.

That still leaves the Panthers with a pretty bloated backfield with Etienne and Brooks next year backing up Hubbard, who may or may not return to form. The easiest option is to sign Dowdle to an extension, trade Hubbard, and trade Brooks, who probably isn't going to be worth much. That's not what the Panthers will do, though.

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