Browns running back Kareem Hunt is reportedly planning to hold off practice with the team during training camp until he can secure a new contract with the team.
After retiring from the practice squad on Friday, the 27-year-old elected to skip practice for the second day in a row as he continues to pursue an extension, according to multiple reports. Josina Anderson of CBS Sports first reported the news of Hunt’s partial suspension, adding that it is not believed to be medical-related. The five-year veteran has played eight games in 2021 due to lingering calf and ankle injuries.
Anderson noted that Hunt has recently informed the team several times that his current plan is to only participate in individual training sessions until the two sides reach a resolution. Anderson also said that, while Hunt has informally told team members that he wants to be offered or traded, one source stressed that he would ultimately like to stay in Cleveland.
Hunt, who signed a one-year deal with the Browns as a free agent in 2019, is entering the final season of a two-year, $13.25 million extension he signed in Sept. ’20.
Cleveland.com’s Mark Kay Cabot later confirmed the interim relationship during a minicamp report in June, saying Hunt expressed his desire to stay long-term with team officials. So far, there has been nothing exciting about a new deal.
“I’m just taking it day by day, man,” Hunt said in June, per CBS. “I’ll see what they want to do with me, and I’m taking it day by day. I hope I can stay here for a long time. We’ll see what God has planned for me, that’s all I can say.”
A Pro Bowler with the Chiefs in 2017, Hunt was one of the most reliable running backs in the NFL after spending his first two seasons as a starter in Kansas City. In his role as second fiddle, though valuable, star Nick Chubb has firmly placed the Browns in the conversation for the best RB tandem in the league over the past three years.
In 32 games with Cleveland, Hunt has amassed 1,406 rushing yards and 13 scores, to go along with 97 receptions for 763 yards and six touchdowns.
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