THERE'S STILL HOPE

Napoleon McCallum -- the ex-Raiders running back who nearly lost his leg after suffering a devastating knee injury during a game in 1994 -- is advising Nick Chubb to consider all of his options before coming back to the football field full-time.

The former Oakland tailback tells TMZ Sports ... if he had the chance to sit and talk with the Cleveland star following the 27-year-old's injury last Monday night -- he'd be sure to get that message across to him.

"I understand it's hard to leave," McCallum said of what he'd say to Chubb. "You just gotta weigh your future life and all the great things that you can do with family and friends."

VERY SERIOUS INJURY

McCallum's injury was far more serious than Chubb's -- he ruptured an artery and severed a nerve in addition to tearing his ligaments on a run play against the San Francisco 49ers -- but he nonetheless knows at least part of the road Chubb will have to go down in order to feel normal again.

For McCallum, the end of that journey meant never playing football again ... an outcome he seems to think Chubb should at the very least consider.

"I just wish him the best," he said.

As for how McCallum is feeling all these years after hurting his knee ... he tells us he just had both of his legs operated on during COVID -- and is actually doing "great" now.

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