The Lead
When reports first emerged that the Broncos were completing a trade for quarterback Russell Wilson, Bradley Chubb was a bit busy.
This offseason, Chubb has been working on finishing his sociology degree at NC State, and at that particular moment, he was in the middle of some schoolwork.
"I took some classes this offseason, so I was taking a test," Chubb said Thursday. "My phone was buzzing in my pocket. I said, 'What's going on? Why is everybody calling me?' I get out and my agent, my brother, my mom and my dad — everybody was jumping up and down because we got Russ."
At it so happened, that campus was actually where Chubb first met Wilson. When Chubb was a high school senior, he visited campus to watch the Wolfpack's spring game, which was also when Wilson had his jersey honored by the school.
Chubb's back-to-school experience has been spurred on by a promise he made when he entered the NFL, he said.
"I've got a couple more classes," Chubb said. "So I'm getting there. I promised moms that I was gonna finish when I signed. So I've got to keep that promise. But it's probably not going to be this year. It'll probably be a little bit next year as well."
And as much as Chubb carves an imposing figure on the field, it turns out, his is a pretty recognizable one off it, too. On campus, every once in a while another student will approach him.
"It was weird at first, being in the classroom," Chubb said. "If I'm walking on campus, somebody might stop me [and say], 'Are you Bradley Chubb?' … But it was good. It's for sure hard to stop something for four years and go back into it. But it's one of those things, kind of like learning something new. Kind of like a hobby-type thing. I had a good time out in Raleigh. They always treat me good out there. It was a good time."
This semester, as the Broncos continue the offseason program, Chubb will finish his classes with online exams, he said.
Below the Fold
In NFL.com’s new rankings of general managers, it may appear that there's a glaring omission, as George Paton is not featured. However, to make Gregg Rosenthal's ranking, he required GMs to have completed at least two drafts, so Paton is grouped with 10 others in the "Too New" category, though he notes that Paton could soon be considered one of the best in the league.
"Hired last January, Paton passed on Justin Fields and Mac Jones for Patrick Surtain II," Rosenthal wrote. "Surtain's terrific rookie season and -- crucially -- the Russell Wilson trade suddenly make that look very wise. It's easy to imagine Paton debuting on the rankings portion of this piece fairly high up a year from now."
