On the same day he re-signed with the Cleveland Browns, Kareem Hunt made it clear that he has his eyes on football’s biggest prize.
“I’m from Cleveland, born and raised like I always say, and I still want to win and bring a championship here and help contribute,” Hunt told reporters during a video press conference on Wednesday. “That was my biggest goal for the past four years, to do everything I can to bring one to the hometown.”
The NFL’s leading rusher as a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, Hunt spent the previous four seasons in Cleveland but remained un-signed through the first two weeks of the 2023 season despite reported interest from the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. The Browns, however, unexpectedly found themselves in need of a running back after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter of Cleveland’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
Hunt — who Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said could play as early as this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans — joins a Cleveland running backs room that also includes Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. Regardless of whether he makes good on his Super Bowl aspirations, the Willoughby, Ohio, native is grateful for the opportunity to rejoin his hometown team.
“I never fully closed the door or whatnot, but I didn’t think it was a big possibility,” Hunt said. “I guess it was just meant for me to come play for the hometown again. Obviously I’m right up the street from my house. So I guess it worked out in ways that I can’t even explain. I’m grateful to be here. I’ve still got a lot of love for Cleveland.”
