Outside of LeVeon Bell, former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt might be the most talented running back on the open market. However, despite his talent, it might take a while for Hunt to find a job. Everyone knows about Kareem Hunt’s hotel tape, and any team signing him would have to deal with all the baggage that comes with Hunt’s legal battles.
2019 NFL Free Agency Master List
2019 NFL Free Agent Profile: Kareem Hunt
Hunt’s 2018 season was abruptly cut short after TMZ released a tape of Kareem Hunt assaulting a woman in a Cleveland hotel. The Chiefs cut him immediately, and Hunt apparently lied to the organization about the severity of the situation. Despite his massive talent, nobody put in a claim for Hunt and the second-year running back finished the 2018 season out of football. Hunt will serve a suspension when he finally signs, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says that Hunt could serve more than the standard six games for domestic violence.
Despite all this, some team will likely give Hunt a chance because he’s objectively one of the best running backs in the league. Hunt played in 11 games in 2018, recording 824 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 26 receptions for 378 yards and seven touchdowns in the passing game. This wasn’t a one-year fluke, as Hunt led the league in rushing yards as a rookie. Hunt can beat teams on the ground and through the air, and his impressive skill set should entice some team to take a flier on him.
Possible Fits
Without the assault history, every single team in the league would want to have Hunt on their roster. However, the circumstances surrounding Hunt mean that most teams won’t want anything to do with the second-year running back.
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy openly stated that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of signing Hunt at some point in the future. While no other team has gone on record, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that “multiple teams” have expressed interest in Hunt.
Additionally, the Washington Redskins have a history of signing talented players with questionable pasts. Earlier in the 2018 season, the Redskins put in a claim for former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster after an alleged domestic violence incident. While those charges have since been dropped, they were very much on the table at the time of the signing. Washington needs a running back, as Adrian Peterson can’t play forever and Derrius Guice is coming off a torn ACL.
Last Word on Free Agent Kareem Hunt
Kareem Hunt is undeniably talented, but the 23-year old running back carries more baggage than any other player on the free agent market. Hunt’s assault tape forced the Kansas City Chiefs to let go of him in the middle of a postseason push and was so toxic that no other team signed him for the home stretch. Anybody wanting Hunt will have to deal with an inevitable lengthy suspension, a public relations nightmare, and the moral guilt of giving a job to a morally reprehensible human being like Hunt.
That said, talent trumps everything in the NFL, and Hunt has limitless talent. Hunt led the league in rushing yards as a rookie and would’ve finished near the top in 2018 had he played the whole season. He’s just as dangerous in the passing game, as the second-year running back recorded seven receiving touchdowns in just 11 games with Patrick Mahomes.
Ultimately, some team will bite the bullet and decide the reward outweighs the risk with Hunt. The Chicago Bears have publicly acknowledged interest, but they’ve already got a strong running back duo in Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard. The Washington Redskins could be a landing spot depending on the health of 2018 second-round pick Derrius Guice. Hunt will probably come at a bargain, which for some teams will be good enough to deal with all the excess baggage.
2019 NFL Free Agency Master List
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