After shuffling their patchwork offensive line, the Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back a fan-favorite and some stability at the running back spot. Kareem Hunt has signed a one-year deal that is worth up to $2.5 million.
Hunt’s contract has a base salary of $1.5 million but could rise to $2.5 million with incentives and escalators based on performance.
Hunt came back to ‘Chiefs Kingdom’ in the 2024 season when Isiah Pacheco went down with a broken fibula in a Week 2 matchup against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. It was revealed through imaging that Pacheco would be sidelined for six to eight weeks, leading the Chiefs to sign Hunt.
The Chiefs selected Hunt in the third round in 2017 in the same draft in which they acquired Patrick Mahomes with the 10th overall pick. Hunt had previously played for the Chiefs for the 2017 and 2018 seasons but was unceremoniously released when a video went viral online of the running back pushing and kicking a woman. The charges would later be dropped by authorities.
Following Hunt’s dismissal from the Chiefs, he would sign with the Cleveland Browns in 2019. He remained with the organization through the 2023 campaign.
Embed from Getty ImagesHunt was a free agent looking for a home at the conclusion of the 2023 season, and the Chiefs would resign the back. In 13 games, the star back wrapped up 728 yards and seven touchdowns, with a modest 3.6 yards per carry average. He was an adequate receiving threat out of the backfield, securing 176 receiving yards.
While a member of the Chiefs in 2017 Hunt had a breakout rookie year, showcasing elite carry skills, posting a league-leading 1,327 yards, catching 53 balls and scoring 11 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl and came in second for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
When Hunt resigned with the Chiefs in 2024, he stated that he was excited to show what he still had left in the tank. Though his production took a major hit between 2021 and 2023, he did his job and came through in fine style with Kansas City.
Hunt’s 728 rushing yards was his best production since the 2020 season, when he amassed 841 yards. Hunt has overcome the dangerous one-two punch of controversy and injuries in his career and reemerged a solid back in 2024.
He has rushed for 5,164 yards in eight seasons and has scored 64 total touchdowns.
The Chiefs want to continue their legacy and chances of locking up another Super Bowl win, and the team has for the most part kept their nucleus intact from the 2024 season. Keeping Pacheco and Hunt is a fantastic idea, as it will keep their running back corps strong.
It would be believed that Hunt and Pacheco will battle it out for the starting role, but both served as complementary rotational pieces in 2024. Both Hunt and Pacheco can run and catch, which is why both will return.
