Former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt finds long-term home in Cleveland

Former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt has earned a two-year extension from the Cleveland Browns.

It’s now clear that running back Kareem Hunt has earned the trust of another team.

With the signing of a new two-year contract extension with the Cleveland Browns, Hunt now has some security in the NFL, a fortunate turn for a player who was without it for quite some time.

It wasn’t so long ago that a future in the National Football League seemed out of the question for Hunt. Despite his obvious talent, Hunt’s own behavior in the offseason was his undoing, after he was caught on video assaulting a woman. After also lying to the Kansas City Chiefs about the incident on multiple occasions, the team decided to cut ties with the back and move on late in the 2018 season.

The Cleveland Browns, with former Chiefs general manager John Dorsey at the helm, would step in and sign Hunt to a one-year deal. As a known quantity to Dorsey, the match made sense even as the NFL levied an 8-game suspension on Hunt which reduced his ability to play out that deal by one half. In the end, Hunt would end up with 43 rushes for 179 yards and 2 rushing scores.

Even after the Browns ousted Dorsey for new GM Andrew Berry, the team remained committed to keeping Hunt around. After giving him a second-round tender this offseason, the Browns have signed Hunt to two more seasons with $8.5 million in guaranteed money. The deal as a whole is worth up to $13.5 million.

Hunt led the NFL in rushing as recently as 2017 with one of the best rookie seasons by a running back in NFL history with the Chiefs. He was well on his way to another Pro Bowl performance in 2018 before the Chiefs released him. Yet his behavior made it seems as if he was going to be another sad story of a talented young player who couldn’t handle the fame, fortune and spotlight that comes with the role.

It’s good to see Hunt finding his way forward when his career could have easily hit a brick wall. Hopefully he can continue to impress both fans and the front office in Cleveland and earn his keep in the AFC North.