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Summer is right around the corner, and former Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt remains a free agent. But Heavy Sports’ Max Dible has named an ideal landing spot for him.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on June 8 via Twitter that the Minnesota Vikings have informed four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook that he is being released. This is happening to do Cook have $14-plus million cap hits over each of the next three seasons.
Schefter also noted in a follow-up tweet that Miami will attempt to trade Cook one more time on Thursday, June 8 before they officially release him on Friday.
Vikings are expected to try to trade four-time Pro-Bowl RB Dalvin Cook one more time today and if they are unable to, they would plan to process his official release Friday, per source.
Though he gave his take prior to Cook’s release, Dible believes Hunt could join forces with the Vikings in wake of Cook’s departure and be a 1-2 punch in the backfield alongside fifth-year back Alexander Mattison.
“Given Hunt’s talent and history of early-career success, pushing his number low enough to get into Minnesota’s desired range could be tricky,” Dible wrote on June 6. “But aging players at a devalued position can often be convinced to take a one-year discount to join a situation that will allow them to showcase their skills, re-establish their value and potentially earn a shot at another sizable, long-term contract. This is the type of scenario in which the Vikings land a player like Hunt.”
Kareem Hunt Has Lost a Step: Insider
A little over four years after being cut by the Chiefs in-season, Kareem Hunt’s value is slipping as each day passes, and Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com revealed on April 9 why Hunt might still be a free agent.
“I kept hearing from the Browns that Hunt was ‘slipping’ in terms of his speed,” Pluto wrote. “He averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per carry. Pro Football Focus ranked him 53rd out of 62 qualifying running backs.”
Hunt played in all 17 regular season games during the 2022 season for the Browns and registered 123 rushing attempts for 468 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns along with 35 receptions for another 210 yards and 1 receiving touchdown per Pro Football Reference.
It was only a matter of time before the Browns moved on from Hunt. He requested a trade back in August but was denied by the team. It was then reported by OBR’s Brad Stainbrook on October 24 that Cleveland was fielding trade offers for Hunt.
Now, Hunt, who played four seasons in Cleveland after a two-year stint in Kansas City to start his career is facing the longest free agency stint since entering the NFL.
If Dalvin Cook is released or traded, Hunt might be able to strike a deal with Minnesota to be a complementary backfield option for them. But if Hunt can’t land a contract with the Vikings, then he might have to wait until training camp begins and some injuries occur to land a deal with an NFL team.
Twitter Chats About Kareem Hunt
Twitter users have been chatting about Kareem Hunt recently.
“Kareem Hunt would be a great fit for Dallas!” former NFL receiver Dez Bryant wrote.
“Kareem Hunt not receiving any offers from other teams tells you a lot about him and the Browns and it’s not in the sense you think,” one Twitter user wrote.
Kareem Hunt not receiving any offers from other teams tells you a lot about him and the Browns and it’s not in the sense you think
“Cowboys still haven’t signed Kareem hunt or Lenny fournette yet smh let’s get serious fellas,” another user wrote.
Cowboys still haven’t signed Kareem hunt or Lenny fournette yet smh lets get serious fellas
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Ex-Chief Kareem Hunt Could Replace 4-Time NFC Pro Bowler, Per Analyst