Former Browns RB Kareem Hunt Linked to NFC Contender

One day after backup Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford suffered an injury in practice, the man he replaced found himself on the precipice of a new NFL contract.

Kareem Hunt is projected to join the New Orleans Saints for the 2023 season pending the tying up of a few loose ends, per a report from ESPN’s Dianna Russini on Tuesday, August 8.

“The New Orleans Saints are expected to sign both Kareem Hunt and Anthony Barr if both players pass their physicals and are in shape, per sources,” Russini tweeted.

Approximately four hours later, Russini retweeted a post from her ESPN colleague Adam Schefter noting that Hunt was headed to the Indianapolis Colts for a visit.

Russini reported that in a “twist,” the Colts contacted Hunt and offered him more money before his workout with the Saints on Tuesday. The end result is that Hunt’s future with New Orleans is not as certain as Russini initially reported, though the Saints remain a viable landing spot for the Browns former running back.

This post was updated to reflect a change in reporting from Russini, who provided the original source material for the article. 

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Kareem Hunt Will Get Shot With Saints He Couldn’t Get With Browns

The Saints aren’t an overly serious contender to win the Super Bowl at +3500 as of Monday, per ESPN, which puts them in a three-way tie with the Browns and Seattle Seahawks for the 13th-best odds in the league. However, New Orleans not only plays in the lesser of two conferences, but is the favorite to win what is arguably the NFL’s worst division in the NFC South.

Hunt should get an opportunity with the Saints similar to the one he had with the Browns over the past two years. Cleveland used Hunt fairly regularly as the No. 2 option behind star rusher Nick Chubb. New Orleans has a similarly talented back in Alvin Kamara, to whom Hunt will most likely also play second-fiddle.

That won’t be the case to start the season, though, as the NFL has suspended Kamara for three games due to his role in a battery case case out of Las Vegas. Kamara ultimately pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of breach of peace, pleading out of a felony battery charge in the process.

Kamara’s absence will afford Hunt a brief window of opportunity that he probably wouldn’t have gotten in Cleveland — a chance to showcase himself as a true No. 1 RB. Hunt won an NFL rushing title as a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. He is 28-year-old a dual-threat back who catches the ball and makes plays after the catch effectively.

Because of these traits, Hunt could arguably play himself into a richer, longer-term contract in 2024 than he was ever going to get anywhere after hitting the free agent market this offseason.

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Former Browns RB Kareem Hunt Playing for His NFL Livelihood With Saints in 2023

It’s tough out there for running backs these days — at least relative to the kind of contracts common among other positions in the NFL.

Hunt was on a two-year deal with Browns for $12 million in total, which ran out at the end of last season. As he has not yet officially signed with the Saints, there are no details to parse on years or money. However, Hunt isn’t likely to earn a wild pay day in New Orleans considering he will serve as the backup for the majority of the 2023 campaign after spending the past four seasons backing up Chubb in Cleveland.

Beyond that, running back salaries are trending downward — while quarterback after quarterback, receiver and receiver, and defensive tackle after defensive tackle seem to set new markets at their positions with each free agency period.

Hunt saw the writing on the wall in Cleveland last summer and attempted to hold out for a new contract, though to no avail. The details of his upcoming deal with New Orleans, assuming no hitch pops up and disrupts a deal getting done, will be telling as to the running back’s market value around the league.

In 2022, Hunt carried the ball 123 times for 468 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 35 passes for 210 yards and one score across 17 games played but zero starts, per Pro Football Reference. His yards per carry average dipped to 3.8, the worst of his career and first time he fell below the 4.2 mark in six professional seasons.

Hunt figures to get one more shot to make a case for himself as a No. 1 or No. 1-A back who is worth one more meaningful NFL contract — an opportunity the Browns front office was unwilling to extend to the RB again this summer.

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