Unlike most of the Kansas City Chiefs roster, Kareem Hunt doesn't know what it's like to hoist a Lombardi Trophy. The running back has only felt the heartache of a Super Bowl loss.
Released by K.C. before their run of Super Bowls, Hunt returned to the Chiefs in 2024, playing a crucial role in their run back to the big game. However, with Kansas City getting blown out by the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Hunt hasn't had a season end on the mountaintop.
The 29-year-old running back re-signed in Kansas City on a one-year deal this offseason with unfinished business in mind.
"The culture is just great," he said last week, via Arrowhead Pride. "It didn't end the way we wanted it to. But we've got a lot of work to do -- and I feel like we've got another good shot at it."
Hunt added: "You never want to go to the Super Bowl and lose, but I'm just grateful I got to experience that. I definitely want to get back there and see how it is on the other side."
The veteran running back filled in for an injured Isiah Pacheco in the Chiefs backfield and provided needed muscle. While he lacks pop at this stage -- averaging 3.6 yards per carry -- he can push the pile and earned seven touchdowns in 13 games last season. An innings eater, Hunt's 200 carries over those 13 tilts were his most in a season since his rookie campaign in 2017.
The Chiefs added free agent running back Elijah Mitchell, a slasher with starting experience coming off a season-long injury, bulking up a backfield that includes Pacheco, Hunt, and 2024 undrafted free agent Carson Steele. If everyone is healthy, Hunt might be squeezed out of the rotation as an insurance back.
"I'm just doing whatever Coach [Andy] Reid and those guys ask me to do, man," he said. "I'll just play my role -- go out there [to] do whatever [I can] to help the team win."
Hunt hopes this time he can be part of the team that wins the final game of the year.
