Here’s why Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt is happiest camper at Missouri Western
Last year, Kareem Hunt joined the Chiefs from the couch.
A bit of an exaggeration, but the running back wasn’t with a team during training camp for the second straight year. The Chiefs signed him last September after starter Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula, and Hunt went on to become the team’s rushing leader.
Now, Hunt is benefiting from a full offseason of training as Chiefs camp approaches the end of its first week at Missouri Western.
“You know, it’s just tremendous to be able to get a full off season and to be out here in these hot summer days,” Hunt said. “It’s a big advantage.”
In early drills without pads, Hunt has been running behind Pacheco and ahead of Elijah Mitchell, Brashard Smith and Carson Steele at the position. Padded practices start Sunday.
Hunt, 29, is about to begin his ninth NFL season and fourth with the Chiefs. A third-round draft choice in 2017, he made a remarkable first impression, setting a league record with 246 total yards in his debut game.
Hunt then went on to lead the NFL in rushing that season.
He was released by the Chiefs after Week 12 in 2018, however, when video surfaced of Hunt shoving and kicking a woman. He landed with his hometown Cleveland Browns, where he started 11 games over the next five seasons.
Offseasons proved to be tricky there, as well. In 2022, Hunt skipped team drills (but participated in individual drills) while seeking a contract extension or trade. The next year, he wasn’t with a team.
Hunt was a free agent and didn’t sign back with the Browns until September.
So, uncomfortable as Chiefs training camp can be — practicing in the heat and living in a dormitory on the Missouri Western State University campus — it’s the ideal spot for Hunt.
Better, certainly, than the couch.
In reality, Hunt was working out with his former high school track coach and doing what he could to stay in shape. Still, there were no guarantees of future football employment until the Chiefs called.
“I didn’t know when I was going to get picked up, or if I was going to have the opportunity to play again,” he said. “I was waiting on a call.”
He finished with 728 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. In his second game back, Hunt rushed for 102 yards in a victory over the New Orleans Saints ... and then he added another 100-yard game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Pacheco returned in the final quarter of the season and the two players, now teammates, shared the load. Pacheco was running on a recovered fractured leg, Hunt on legs that were just a bit tired.
For Hunt, that won’t be the case this year. He has a head start on the season.
“It’s a different type of speed out there than working out by yourself,” he said. “I get to be around guys who are pushing me, guys who are challenging me each and every day instead of me trying to push myself by myself.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 1:52 PM.