Kareem Hunt leaves visit with AFC team without a contract
Less than 24 hours after visiting the New Orleans Saints, former NFL rushing leader Kareem Hunt visited with the Indianapolis Colts but left Wednesday evening without agreeing to a deal despite being offered a contract, per multiple reports.
Financial terms of Indy’s contract offer were not disclosed.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero both reported that Hunt has interest from other teams in addition to the Colts and Saints. Multiple reports indicate that both visits with New Orleans and Indianapolis went well.
It was reported on Tuesday by ESPN’s Dianna Russini that Hunt was expected to sign with the Saints if he passed his physical. However, hours later, Schefter stated the Colts had contacted Hunt before he worked out for New Orleans and offered him more money, prompting him to visit with them on Wednesday.
However, the Colts did sign a running back on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Jason Huntley who was recently released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts are looking to add more RB depth with Jonathan Taylor, who recently requested to be traded, not participating in training-camp practices.
Hunt spent the last four seasons as a backup to Nick Chubb with the Cleveland Browns, rushing for 1,874 yards and 16 touchdowns over 49 games. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2017, rushing for a league-leading 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 53 receptions for 455 yards and three more scores and making his first Pro Bowl.
The 28-year-old Hunt has a projected market value of $7 million per year, according to Spotrac, which expects him to land a two-year, $14 million deal in free agency.
With the diminishing market for running backs, Hunt likely won’t command that high of a salary. The top available running backs this offseason — Miles Sanders and David Montgomery — got mid-level deals, signing for $6.25M and $6M per season, respectively, on the open market.
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