Why Kareem Hunt Feels Like a Million Bucks

Kareem Hunt marked his 29th birthday last summer in unfamiliar surroundings. Having regularly spent Aug. 6 in football training camps, he found himself unemployed.

“I was in Cleveland,” Hunt said Thursday morning after Kansas City’s practice. “I was hanging out with my family, taking my boat out every day and just working out; staying in shape, waiting on the call. … I wasn't trying to celebrate my birthday, but I got to celebrate, so that was cool.”

He’s celebrating something else this year, his first full offseason with a team in three years.

“He's had an offseason,” head coach Andy Reid said Thursday. “He kind of missed two offseasons there, and he had this offseason, worked hard. Now, he's coming into training camp, he's in good shape, and I would expect good things.

“He'll be in there rotating and doing his thing. And he's just a good, good solid football player. Love having him here.”

They loved having him available last September when Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula in Week 2 against Cincinnati and missed the next nine games. After five seasons in Cleveland, Hunt went unsigned during free agency. He returned to Kansas City, the franchise that drafted him in the third round of the 2017 draft, 76 picks after Patrick Mahomes.

Hunt jumped right into the Chiefs’ lineup, starting eight games in Pacheco’s absence and finishing with 728 yards and seven touchdowns on 200 carries. He added postseason touchdowns against both Houston and Buffalo to help the Chiefs to another Super Bowl berth. The Chiefs re-signed him on March 14 to a one-year, $1.5 million contract that includes up to $1 million in incentives. And after a full offseason with the Chiefs, he feels like a million dollars compared to this time last year.

“Oh, for sure,” he said, explaining the past four months. “I was more locked in, staying on schedule. Because (last summer) I didn't know when I was going to get picked up, or when I was going to have the opportunity, or if I was going to have the opportunity to play again.

“So, I stayed on top of things this offseason, made sure I stayed in good shape from OTAs and was just able to keep building on what I've already built.”

He built himself into an exceptional short-yardage back over the last two years. In 2024, that was one of the underrated reasons the Chiefs were able to win 15 games despite key injuries at skill positions and unprecedented leakage at tackle.

On third- or fourth-down carries with one or two yards to go, he converted 15 of 18 opportunities (83.3 percent). The year before, he was 15 of 20 (75 percent) in Cleveland.

“I take pride in whatever I do,” he said, “and that's one of those things, those are big-time plays.
People don't understand how hard it is to get those 2, 3 yards and punch it in. Those keep the drives alive and get us more opportunities to make big plays.

“Keeping these legs driving, man. That's the biggest thing, and not being tackled by one person, being able to carry a person for the extra 3, 4 yards, even if you're hit in the backfield. Just finding a way, man.”

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