Five years ago, Ohio native Kareem Hunt sat quietly as a Rocky River police officer approached his vehicle on Interstate 90. Hunt had been stopped for speeding and was later questioned when the officer found marijuana and alcohol in the car. The exchange, caught on dashcam, was circulated across traditional and social media.
Just 48 hours prior, the Kansas City Chiefs had advanced to Super Bowl LIV—a fact Hunt lamented in an emotional plea to the officer. The then-24-year-old player was released in 2018 by Kansas City following a domestic violence incident.
"You know what happened to me… I should be playing for a freaking Super Bowl right now. It hurts my soul like you don’t understand, I been fighting a lot of s--- lately, man. It still hurts me to this day. I love Cleveland, I love the Browns, but you don’t understand," said Hunt.
To his credit, Hunt mostly kept his nose clean for five seasons in Cleveland, but things took a turn when he became a free agent after the 2023 season. He struggled to find a new home in the offseason but kept himself in shape on the chance an NFL team came calling.
Hunt likely couldn't have predicted such an opportunity would present itself in Kansas City, but a serious injury to Isiah Pacheco opened the door. This week, the eight-year veteran recounted the process of returning to the team that drafted him. In a Thursday press conference, Hunt said, "I shot (Reid) a text, and I just was telling him like, ‘I’ve been grinding, man. You know I’m hungry, and you know I want to come help y’all. So, if y’all got a spot for me, I’ll come put in the work.’ He said he’d get back to me, and he ended up getting back to me like one hour later. Two hours later, he told me to get ready for a flight."
The former Toledo Rocket saw his 2024 debut come in a road meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers. Hunt would amass 85 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches that day. Over the next four weeks, he posted 380 more scrimmage yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.
Along the way, the Chiefs lost another key offensive weapon when Rashee Rice's season was shortened by a collision with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Suddenly, Kansas City's offensive identity was in question, but Hunt's presence and productivity were a stabilizing force. In one of his best games of the season, Hunt had a season-best 106 rushing yards and a walkoff overtime touchdown that lifted the Chiefs over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Production slowed as the season wore on. Heavy touches early ultimately caught up to the 29-year-old Hunt. Pacheco also returned in late November but hasn't looked like himself. Fortunately for Hunt, splitting carries has afforded him fresher legs. Thus far, that's paid off in the postseason. In two starts against the Texans and Bills, Hunt has rushed for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Chiefs' wide receiver corps is the best it's been all season with the emergence of rookie Xavier Worthy, the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins, and the reappearance of Hollywood Brown. Still, Hunt remains entrenched as the lead dog in Kansas City's backfield.
Make no mistake: Kareem Hunt isn't the dynamic player he was in his first two seasons with Kansas City. His value to this 2024 version of the Chiefs has been in the "gotta have it" moments in short-yardage and goal-line situations. In 13 regular season games, Hunt was the team's scrimmage yards leader with 904 and second among offensive skill position players with 7 touchdowns. He's become a key high-leverage player who will again be counted upon when the Chiefs meet the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX.
When asked how he's savoring the moment Hunt had this to say: "I'm very grateful for it. Opportunities like this don't come often. There are only two teams left. Now, we just have to finish the job."
It's clear there's something deeper at stake for Hunt. His Chiefs tenure abruptly came to an end behind bad choices. He has a chance to reclaim his legacy in Kansas City and finish what he started back in 2017. His career began as this team was on the precipice of becoming the NFL's gold standard. Unfortunately, he would not see the fruits of his labor materialize. The Chiefs went on to win three Super Bowls over the next five seasons, while Hunt languished in Cleveland. Thankfully, he can punctuate his path to redemption with a historic third-straight Super Bowl victory.
For Hunt's sake, I hope they pull it off.