Proposed Trade Reunites Browns RB Kareem Hunt With Former Team

Kareem Hunt

Getty Images Running back Kareem Hunt of the Cleveland Browns.

Kareem Hunt has made it clear to the Cleveland Browns that he’d like a new deal or be sent somewhere else via trade.

While the Browns swiftly rejected his trade request, it is something they’ll likely field calls on to gauge the market. One team that could come knocking is the Kansas City Chiefs — Hunt’s former team that could use his talents as they gear up for a run at the Super Bowl.

Hunt came out with the Chiefs as a third-round pick in 2017, putting up a 1,782-yard, 11-score season as a rookie to lead the NFL in rushing. However, their relationship ended on a rough note, with Kansas City parting ways with Hunt after TMZ published video that appeared to show Hunt kicking and shoving a woman in a Cleveland hotel.

Hunt was a pariah after the incident but former Browns GM John Dorsey took a shot on him, pairing the former Pro Bowler with Nick Chubb to form one of the NFL’s best backfields.

Hunt has notched 1,406 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground over his three seasons in Cleveland, adding 763 yards receiving and six additional touchdowns as a pass-catcher. Those numbers are particularly impressive considering he’s the second option behind one of the best back in the league in Chubb and the fact that Hunt has missed 16 games — due to an eight-game suspension and injuries.


Chiefs Would Swap Mid-Round Pick For Hunt in Proposed Deal

It might take some PR work by the Chiefs if they brought Hunt back, but football-wise, it would provide him with a heavier workload on a contending squad. Bleacher Report circled the Chiefs as a destination for Hunt in a recent article laying out landing spots for top trade targets around the league.

Kansas City appears to be lacking a playmaking running back. 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire has failed to live up to expectations and is in danger of being a bust. The club also parted ways with versatile pass-catcher Tyreek Hill this offseason, leaving the 120 touches he got last year up for grabs.

If the Chiefs wish to keep their streak of four consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances alive, they would be wise to consider flipping a middle-round pick to the Browns for the dynamic back.

Hunt is not a huge investment for a team looking to upgrade their running game. He’s in the final year of a two-year extension he signed in 2020 with the Browns, which will pay him around $6 million. The caveat is that Hunt wants to get “paid,” which could make him a one-year rental for any team that decides to deal for him.

And for what it’s worth, Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes still had a good relationship with Hunt despite his falling out with the team.

“That’s my dude, man,” Mahomes said prior to the teams meeting up in 2021. “I came in with Kareem, and obviously we’re not together anymore, but I still stay in touch. He’s a heck of a football player, and someone who was one of my best friends when we first got on the team together.”


Nick Chubb Backed Kareem Hunt After Trade Request

The partnership between Hunt and Chubb has worked very effectively during their time together and there are signs that the Browns could try to utilize them on the field at the same time more often this season.

They’ve formed a bond during their time as teammates and Chubb made it clear that he’d like Hunt to stick around for the foreseeable future.

“He’s my best friend, on and off the field,” Chubb told NFL Network during an interview on August 8. “I want him to be here, whatever they got to do to keep him here.”

Despite Chubb’s plea, there are reasons to believe the Browns could eventually change their tune and decide to trade Hunt. They have a bevy of running back talent with D’Ernest Johnson and rookie Jerome Ford also on the depth chart, albeit neither guy has shown the upside of Hunt when healthy.

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