The Seattle Seahawks have an inexperienced group of healthy running backs, and a former NFL rushing champion remains available.
Sports Illustrated’s Randy Gurzi included Kareem Hunt among three free agents Seattle could consider adding if concerns emerge after Week 1.
Hunt spent the past two seasons back with the Kansas City Chiefs and recently visited the Detroit Lions, but he remains unsigned.
The timing makes Hunt an intriguing option for a Seahawks team leaning heavily on rookie Jadarian Price and George Holani while Zach Charbonnet begins the season on the physically unable to perform list.
Seattle may be comfortable giving its young backs the first opportunity.
Hunt, though, offers a readily available insurance policy with extensive experience in short-yardage situations and around the goal line.
Hunt Gives Seahawks a Solid Option
Hunt’s days as one of the NFL’s most explosive runners are behind him, but his 2025 production showed he can still handle a relevant role.
The veteran carried 163 times for 611 yards and eight touchdowns for the Chiefs last season. He also caught 18 passes for 143 yards and another score.
That followed a 2024 season in which Hunt rushed for 728 yards and seven touchdowns after rejoining Kansas City. He has produced at least seven rushing scores in each of the past three seasons.
Compared Seattle’s current healthy options, he’s certainly well-known in the NFL over the years.
Hunt won the NFL rushing title as a rookie in 2017, piling up 1,327 yards for the Chiefs. He enters the 2026 season with 5,775 career rushing yards and 55 touchdowns, along with 267 receptions for 2,209 yards and 18 scores.
Gurzi specifically pointed to Hunt’s ability in short-yardage situations and near the goal line as a reason he could fit in Seattle.
There’s recent interest in the veteran elsewhere as well. Pro Football Talk reported that Hunt visited the Lions on Sept. 1 after Detroit placed Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve. The Lions didn’t sign him, leaving Hunt on the market days before Seattle’s opener.
Seahawks Have an Experience Gap in the Backfield
Seattle’s RB situation is unexpected for a defending Super Bowl champion.
Charbonnet will miss at least the first four games after remaining on the PUP list when the Seahawks set their initial 53-man roster, via the team. He rushed for 730 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns in 2025 before suffering a torn ACL during the postseason.
Without him, Seattle is prepared to turn toward Price and Holani.
Price, the Seahawks’ first-round pick in April, has yet to play a regular-season NFL snap. Holani has appeared in 18 games over two seasons but has just 25 career carries for 83 yards and one touchdown.
Sports Illustrated described the pair as Seattle’s “primary backs” entering Week 1 and suggested Hunt could become an option if the Seahawks harbor any internal doubts about the group.
Hunt could arrive as a complement to Price rather than a replacement.
Seattle invested a first-round pick in the Notre Dame product and has every reason to see what he can do with an early opportunity. A veteran addition could ease some of the pressure on the rookie while giving the Seahawks an option in obvious rushing situations.
Seattle has already shown a willingness to keep adjusting its roster entering the regular season. And if the backfield looks thin once the games begin, Hunt is an accomplished choice still sitting on the open market.
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