As August slowly inches toward September, NFL rosters are starting to take shape. Players are winning and losing spots in camp, players are cut, and practice squads are solidified. As draft picks and free agents stake their claim with general managers across the league, established veterans have a harder time gaining traction. As players become the very descriptions ascribed to them on sites like this, that inevitably seeps into the overall valuation of players and what they can bring to a team.
Such is the case for Kareem Hunt. Known early in his career as a bruising back, Hunt rushed for 1,327 yards in his rookie year (the last Chief to rush for 1K, mind you). Suspensions, injury, and age quickly devolved Hunt's running style into a short-yardage merchant, appearing as the starting running back in 34 of 101 games played after his rookie season.
Kareem Hunt is still waiting for a call, but a longtime rival makes the most sense as a landing spot for the veteran running back.
Hunt had something of a "career renaissance," if you could call it that, when he returned to the Chiefs in 2024, rushing for his highest totals since the 2020 season. However, after back-to-back seasons serving as a fringe starter (never having more than 200 total touches in the last six seasons), Hunt is back on the free agent market after Kansas City chose not to re-sign him, opting for younger, more dynamic running backs in Kenneth Walker III, Emari Demercado, and Emmett Johnson.
That being said, NFL front offices of the last decade have staked their flag on the aging "one-trick pony" running backs, essentially saying, "You're replaceable, so we'll replace you." As Kareem Hunt enters his age-31 season, the odds of being a number-one back or being considered for a running back committee are likely behind him. In the 2025 season, Derrick Henry was the only running back older than 30 (31) to have more than Hunt's 163 touches. Derrick Henry had 307.
A likely spot for Kareem Hunt is a team in need of a veteran back who can get yardage and give a breather to a dynamic younger starter. Look for him to potentially land with a division rival in the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that relied heavily on rookie Ashton Jeanty last season (266 touches in 2025) and could use a veteran presence to relieve Jeanty on short-yardage opportunities.
Add us as a preferred source on Google