Kareem Hunt eager to ‘shock the world’ in second stint with Chiefs: ‘A long time coming’

Hunt began his career with a bang, rushing for a league-best 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017 as part of the same rookie class as superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Despite Mahomes quickly establishing himself as an elite player in the NFL, it was Hunt who made his mark on the league first.

That run ended after 2018, though, when Hunt was involved in a physical altercation with a woman in a Cleveland hotel that led to his placement on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List and release from the Chiefs in December. He spent the next five seasons as a tandem back alongside Nick Chubb in Cleveland, contributing 2,285 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns during a run that ended relatively quietly despite tallying 10 rushing scores in 2023.

Now, Hunt is back in a familiar place with a team that enjoyed great success without him, winning three Super Bowls in the last five years. While Hunt was “thrilled” for his former Chiefs teammates, he admitted “it was hard” to see them succeed without him. He feels fortunate to receive a second chance to play for Andy Reid with the same goal: Win another title.

There is the question of acclimation. While Hunt finds himself in a familiar place — so familiar, in fact, he quickly noticed “the building smelled the same” — he’ll have to prove that he still has enough left in the tank to make a difference.

“I said, ‘These guys know me. I just gotta go and be myself,’ ” Hunt said.

He’s already cleared one hurdle when it comes to being himself, taking time to get healthy after playing through a groin issue for much of 2023. Next, he’ll have to find a way to fit into an offense dominated by Mahomes, whom Hunt considers to be a close friend.

That part shouldn’t be so difficult.

“I see a lot of talent around here,” Hunt said. “They’ve had a bunch of talent ever since I was here. Seeing the way Pat has grown and matured and became the leader of this team — because my rookie year, I played with Alex (Smith), and he was like that — so I feel like, just seeing the player he turned into, I couldn’t be happier.”