Getty Browns running back Kareem Hunt.
The Cleveland Browns have been assured that their two-headed backfield monster will remain intact for next season, with Kareem Hunt signing his second-round tender on Friday to return to the team.
No offer sheets came in for restricted free agents, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, who first reported Hunt’s signing.
Hunt had expressed a desire to return to his hometown Browns during last season.
“Ain’t no place like home, and this is home for me, so I’d love to be in my hometown playing for a long time, maybe finish my career,” Hunt told reporters. “That would be something special. You never know. I’m just excited to do whatever it takes. They’re going to get a ballplayer.”
Hunt will be paid $3.259 million next year, per Spotrac. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Browns Took Chance on Kareem Hunt
The Browns took a chance signing Hunt last offseason, bringing the former NFL rushing champ in after he was cut by the Chiefs when video emerged of him in an altercation with a woman at a Cleveland hotel in February of 2018.
After returning to the active lineup following an eight-game suspension, Hunt finished last season with 179 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. He also caught 37 balls out of the backfield for 285 yards.
In his first two seasons, Hunt — a Toledo product — racked up 2,151 rushing yards and 833 receiving yards. He made the Pro Bowl in 2017 as the league’s leading rusher and was on pace for another strong season before being let go by Kansas City.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is excited about the potential of pairing Hunt with Nick Chubb, who was the league’s second-leading rusher last season with 1,494 yards.
“Nick Chubb, man, wow the tape is so impressive. I can’t wait to meet Nick Chubb the person because everyone is raving about him,” Stefanski said on ESPN 850 Thursday, via the Browns website. “(Hunt) is such a talented player. He’s from Ohio, so I know I’m going to get a chance to visit with him at some point.
“If we’ve got two good ones, we’ll figure it out. That’s no problem for us. That’s a good problem if it’s a problem at all. It’s our job to make sure we’ve got all these good players, let’s use them. Let’s use them in the right way.”
Browns Owner Has High Expectations for Kareem Hunt
Hunt has been mostly a model citizen since signing with the Browns, save for a slip-up this offseason where he was pulled over for speeding and it was found he had both marijuana and open alcohol containers in his vehicle.
Video emerged of the stop that didn’t paint Hunt in the best light. In the nearly six-minute long clip, Hunt tells the officer that he was trying to catch a flight and pleads his case saying, “I’ve been through a lot” multiple times. Hunt was only issued a speeding ticket.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam made it clear after the incident that Hunt needs to be better.
“It’s not good. Kareem knows he’s got to do better,” Haslam told reporters. “What he did was not acceptable. He’s got to do better.”
“We have and will continue to work closely with Kareem,” Haslam added. “But he knows our expectations are higher than what he showed a week or two ago.”