Kareem Hunt is currently residing in NFL free agency, potentially waiting for another chance to run the football.
The Carolina Panthers could be the team that gives Hunt a shot.
The Athletic’s Joe Person first made the connection to Hunt on social media on Monday, writing this on X:
“With Trevor Etienne already on IR, Panthers’ RB depth is thin. Kareem Hunt, who visited the Lions last month, is available depending on how long Brooks is out.”
A plugged-in beat reporter like Person wouldn’t share that thought without it having meaning, and so it seems like something he’s at least heard whispers about.
A fan actually asked in the replies if Person believed Hunt to be a real possibility, and the beat reporter replied that the Panthers’ “Dan Morgan has been filling holes with experienced dudes.”
Hunt, 31, certainly qualifies as experienced.
Kareem Hunt Stats
Hunt was originally a third-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Toledo.
He spent his first two years with the Chiefs before they cut him amid off-field trouble.
Hunt ran for a league-best 1,327 yards as a rookie, still a career-best.
In 2019, Hunt eventually joined the Cleveland Browns, and he stayed there for parts of five seasons. His best year in Cleveland was 2020, when he ran 198 times for 841 yards and six touchdowns.
Hunt found his way back to Kansas City in the 2024 season and ran 200 times for 728 yards and seven TDs in that campaign.
He stayed there in 2025 and had 163 rushes for 611 yards and eight scores.
For his career, Hunt has run 1,393 times for 5,775 yards and 55 touchdowns. He also has 267 catches for 2,209 yards and 18 more scores.
The Chiefs did not get Hunt back on a new contract for the 2026 season, instead opting to get younger in their backfield behind the newly signed Kenneth Walker.
That leaves Hunt seeking out a new NFL home two weeks into the new regular season.
How Kareem Hunt Fits Panthers
As Person wrote above, the fact that Trevor Etienne is out and that now Jonathon Brooks is probably out, too, means the Panthers could use someone.
Chuba Hubbard would remain the lead back regardless of who might get brought in, but the secondary role seems up for grabs.
Carolina does have AJ Dillon, and he can fill a backup spot in a pinch, but neither of their two practice squad RBs has real NFL experience.
Hunt would provide veteran know-how to a Panthers team that is trying to repeat as division champs.
It’s not clear that everyone would be happy with a Hunt signing, and he may have mostly run out of gas, but the link has been made and now it’ll be interesting to see what the Panthers do next.
Kareem Hunt Linked to Panthers After RB Injury