{"id":293448,"date":"2026-07-23T14:30:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=293448"},"modified":"2026-07-23T02:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:03:37","slug":"panthers-rumors-chuba-hubbard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/23\/panthers-rumors-chuba-hubbard\/","title":{"rendered":"Panthers Rumors: $33M Star Projected For Shocking Trade After Bold Proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest Carolina Panthers rumors suggest they could open up trade talks this upcoming 2026 season involving their $33M star. Alex Kay of Bleacher Report projects<\/a> Chuba Hubbard may lose his starting job to backup Jonathon Brooks<\/a>, who’s set to finally make his debut this upcoming campaign. It’s fair to wonder how this running back will fare this season, given that former Dallas Cowboy Rico Dowdle<\/a> came close to winning the starting job in Carolina. However, he bolted for the Pittsburgh Steelers as the RB felt like he wasn’t being utilized near the end of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Hubbard caught a huge break with Dowdle gone. Luck might run out if Brooks decides to impress in training camp. Selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the former Oklahoma State product has spent a half-decade with the Panthers. His most memorable season was in 2024, recording a career-high 1,195 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 250 totes. Unfortunately, due to injuries and inconsistencies, Dowdle took advantage of the opportunity, but of course it wasn’t enough to secure a new deal, as he’d prefer to join another team anyway.<\/p>\n

\"Panthers
Main Photo: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Panthers Rumors: $33M Star Projected For Shocking Trade After Bold Proposal<\/h2>\n

Hubbard Could Be in Trouble?<\/h3>\n

Yes, many can argue the Panthers have yet to solidify their backfield. While all of the attention has been on how QB Bryce Young<\/a> will perform after Carolina picked up his fifth-year option, the battle for the starting running back position will be one to watch. Hubbard is still signed through the 2028 season, so he’s still safe for now.<\/p>\n

However, he shouldn’t get complacent. A healthy Brooks could sneak in and emerge as a proven downhill runner who could make the Panthers forget about the former fourth-rounder. If Brooks wins the starting job, could the Panthers entertain trading Hubbard? It’s possible since they’re getting younger and have Trevor Etienne waiting in the wings for a larger role. Here are three possible destinations for the RB if he loses the battle.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

3. Baltimore Ravens<\/h3>\n

After letting Keaton Mitchell walk in free agency<\/a>, the Baltimore Ravens have a hole in their running back unit. Derrick Henry is still one of the best downhill runners in the league today, but he’s getting too old. This means the team must avoid wearing him out, and the only way to do that is by trading for a potential backup. There are multiple free agents available, including Najee Harris, Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon, but none of them have been consistently healthy the past few seasons.<\/p>\n

Justice Hill is still in Baltimore and serves as a perfect answer for screen-play situations. However, to elevate this ground game, they should consider Hubbard, who could be the successor.<\/p>\n

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2. Jacksonville Jaguars<\/h3>\n

Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be rotating several RB’s this upcoming season, including free agent signee Chris Rodriguez Jr.<\/a> Travis Etienne<\/a> left for a greater contract, and the Jaguars had no financial means to give him a deal that valued him. With that, the Jaguars are rebuilding the RB room.<\/p>\n

Between Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr., the Jaguars don’t have a presumptive starter. If the Panthers see inconsistencies from Hubbard early in the preseason, don’t be surprised if a trade between Carolina and Jacksonville could come to fruition.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

1. Denver Broncos<\/h3>\n

Despite re-signing JK Dobbins to a new deal<\/a>, the Denver Broncos still have concerns in the running back room. RJ Harvey is probably the only reliable downhill runner who could turn into something special. However, to truly bring this Broncos team to a Super Bowl, they could risk it all midseason for Hubbard, similar to what they did to acquire Jaylen Waddle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One prominent NFL analyst made a bold proposal that could intensify the Carolina Panthers rumors and suggest $33M star could be traded. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4795,"featured_media":293451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"<\/smartframe-embed>","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,10,30,15,13,6431],"tags":[7723,7739,7995,596,7335,32399,32193,246,5812,34873,7661,7638,32986,35014],"class_list":["post-293448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-ravens","category-panthers","category-broncos","category-jaguars","category-nfl-teams","tag-baltimore-ravens-news","tag-carolina-panthers-news","tag-chuba-hubbard","tag-derrick-henry","tag-jacksonville-jaguars-news","tag-jonathon-brooks","tag-lastest-nfl-news","tag-nfl-news","tag-nfl-rumors","tag-nfl-trade-rumors","tag-panthers-featured","tag-ravens-featured","tag-rj-harvey","tag-travis-etienne-jr"],"modified_by":"Anthony Palacios","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293448"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293492,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293448\/revisions\/293492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}