NFL Rumors: Former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt gaining interest from multiple teams ahead of new season
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt has been a prime example of the financial beating that players in the position have taken this offseason.
Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs have all seen their lofty hopes hit cold, hard reality this offseason, but for Hunt, just finding a job has been a struggle.
That said, interest appears to be picking up on Hunt as the regular season looms. According to Tom Pelissero on X, formerly Twitter, the running back has picked up interest from four teams.
The teams are unknown, but, mathematically speaking, there's a 12.5 percent chance that a fan's favorite team is in contention.
Kareem Hunt's career revisited
The former Chiefs and Browns running back sparked quickly in Alex Smith's final season under Andy Reid in Kansas City, but slowly fizzled over the proceeding half-decade.
Since earning more than 1300 yards and eight touchdowns in his career, he's gone on to fall short of 1000 yards in every season.
In 2018 and 2020, he got somewhat close, earning more than 800 yards in both years, but otherwise, his statistics left lots of room for improvement.
In three of the last four years, he's failed to earn 500 yards. Some will quickly point out that since he arrived with the Browns in 2019, he's had to share the load with Nick Chubb, who has been the bellcow for the team over that span.
Still, missing training camp and coming off back-to-back subpar years sets modest expectations for the team that ultimately gets him.
Potential landing spots for Kareem Hunt
Of course, with the teams remaining unnamed, one can only attempt to look at the writing on the wall and locate potential holes in a roster Hunt could fill.
Fans were clamoring for the Miami Dolphins to add another piece at running back to complement Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Also, by upgrading the running attack, it becomes viable to lean on.
Fans hoped that the team would get Jonathan Taylor as that safety valve, but with the window now passed, Kareem Hunt could serve as a consolation prize. If he could show up ready to earn 800 yards or more, it could be just enough to save Tagovailoa from taking one too many hits.
The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers also seem to be solid fits. The Patriots don't know what they've got in an older Ezekiel Elliott, so adding another older running back adds redundancy, which would keep the position humming even if one player goes down.
As for the Chargers, Justin Herbert knows what he has in Austin Ekeler, but the running back's backup, Joshua Kelley, is a bit unpredictable. He's coming off a season in which he earned less than 300 yards.