Robert Hunt loved his Ironman reputation, taking pride in the fact he’s never missed an NFL game before this season.
That streak came to and end when Hunt, a four-year starter, missed Miami’s 21-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs because of a hamstring injury he suffered in the previous game.
Hunt, an impending free agent who has started 53 of the 58 NFL games he's played, was walking around fine during the bye week. He'll likely be back on the practice field when the Dolphins begin preparing for the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday.
But in the back of his mind Hunt must wondering what would have been if the injury were worse.
Hunt's earning $2.99 million in the final year of the rookie deal he signed in 2020, a four-year contract that provided him a little under $9.4 million in total compensation.
But if the former Louisiana Lafayette standout stays healthy, and performs like he has the past few season he could potentially make $9 million or more a season on a multi-year extension, or new contract he signs as an unrestricted free agent.
That’s why NFL players despise playing on the final year of an existing contract, much less a rookie deal, which minimizes their earning value.
Too often you know the man behind the helmet, but rarely get an opportunity to learn who they are, what got them here, and what drives them.
Because of the pandemic you never got a chance to learn about the 2020 draft class, so it's my honor to bring you this First-and-10 series, and I started with one of the most lovable linemen.
Allow Hunt to let you into his world, and share one of his favorite eating spots in South Florida.
I’ve been doing this First-and-10 interviews for over a decade, and the questions have remained relatively the same. Unfortunately, Hunt let others pressure him when it came to the bar fight answer.
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