It’s been a long road back to Kansas City for Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt — who was once the PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler after a 1,700-plus-yard season from scrimmage in 2017.
Of course, Hunt’s Chiefs career went downhill after that, reaching rock bottom upon his release from the franchise after a domestic violence incident in 2018. Since then, the now-29-year-old athlete has learned a lot, but he admitted Wednesday that he never expected a KC return.
“Honestly, no. I didn’t think I’d end up back here,” Hunt told reporters on September 25 following his promotion to the 53-man roster. “It’s crazy how some things happen to work out.”
He also addressed the personal help that he sought out after his release from the Chiefs.
“I was very young at that time, 23. Had a lot of success going for me and felt like I guess I needed time to figure myself out and learn. And I feel like it was good for me to do that,” the veteran RB said.
Hunt acknowledged the Cleveland Browns organization, who took a chance on him and helped him throughout this process, but he also credited the Chiefs organization with “wanting the best” for him back in 2018.
“I hate the situation that it came down to but honestly, I feel like [getting released] made me a stronger person and taught me a lot about myself,” Hunt expressed.
Voicing earlier: “I learned that I’ve just got to think before every decision. I learned that everybody doesn’t have their best interest for me — even family, friends and stuff like that. I just had to reflect on a lot of things and see, how did I end up here.”
Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt Says Missing Super Bowls Was ‘Hard’ But He Was ‘Thrilled’ for Andy Reid & Teammates
As for missing the three Super Bowl runs in 2019, 2022 and 2023, Hunt expressed that “it was hard” for him but that he was also “excited” and “thrilled” for head coach Andy Reid and his former teammates.
Later he stated that a championship run would be a “dream come true,” adding that he “couldn’t be more excited” to try and help Kansas City win their third straight Super Bowl in 2024.
“I can’t wait to put on the Red again and go out there with these guys and put it all on the line for them,” Hunt said. “I envision going out there and whatever I’m asked to do, just do it at the highest level and help find a way to keep this winning going on around here.”
Talent-wise, Hunt is confident that he is still “very capable” as a player. Within the presser, he told reporters that he feels full healthy after battling injuries during his final seasons with the Browns, and that he’s ready to “shock the world” and show everyone he’s “still got it.”
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Explains Decision to Sign Kareem Hunt to 53-Man Roster Ahead of Week 4
During his press conference on September 25, Hunt noted that Reid “knows what type of person” he is. That belief and trust seemed to factor into the Chiefs reuniting with Hunt, but Reid also explained the decision to promote him to the active roster so soon on Wednesday afternoon.
“I thought he had a good week of practice last week, he took the majority of the scout-team reps,” Reid told the media, regarding Hunt. Adding that it looks like Hunt’s in “pretty good shape.”
“Now the next step is just getting him in the game,” the Chiefs HC went on. “He’ll rotate in, and we’ll see how he does.”
Reid would not define a clear workload for Hunt, Carson Steele and Samaje Perine in Week 4.
“We’ll just see how things go,” he said. “I’ll play it by year with [Hunt]. We’ve got three good running backs, so we’ll just get him back into the swing of things and see how it rolls.”
Steele led the backfield with 17 carries and 72 rushing yards versus the Atlanta Falcons, while Perine caught three passes and ran the ball six times for a total of 40 scrimmage yards. It’ll be interesting to see how Hunt fits into this new-look backfield as the season progresses.
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