The return of Kareem Hunt to the Kansas City Chiefs brings back nostalgia for both the good and bad times from his first tenure. He’s older and wiser and has more than a familiarity with the franchise and its culture.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes welcomed his old friend Hunt back to the team.
“Obviously, Kareem (Hunt) was a close friend of mine while he was here, just being in the same draft class and everything like that. Came to my wedding. But obviously, he went to Cleveland. He’s had a good career there, has learned and become a better person, and I’m glad to have him back now.” said Mahomes. “Let’s get him accustomed to the offense and see how fast we can get him out there. Yeah, I mean, I mean, I knew he was coming into the building.”
Mahomes was the backup during his and Hunt’s rookie seasons in 2017, watching the running back lead the league in rushing. They played briefly together before Hunt’s release in November 2018.
“I know he had to go through his workout process and meeting with the coaches and (Brett) Veach and everybody, but at the end of the day, man, I root for the person to keep becoming a better and better person,” said Mahomes. “The football secondary, but I’m glad to have him back, and in the building; I gave him a high five and a hug when I saw him because he’s a person that I used to spend a lot of time with a long time ago.”
The franchise was concerned about Hunt’s release due to off-the-field issues. In welcoming him back to the team, Mahomes openly discussed the importance of forgiveness and growth.
“Yeah, I think anyone, everybody has friends that make mistakes, and obviously, some are bigger than others, but at the same time, you want to make the person better. You want to see them taking the right steps to become a better person for themselves, their family, and the rest of society,” said Mahomes. “So I think you’ve seen that with Kareem, and so I’ve stayed in touch with him just to see how he’s doing, how his family’s doing everything like that. He’s been able to carve out a great career in the NFL. But you’ve seen he’s been able to keep his nose clean and be a better person. Be a better person, and that’s what you want in order to make everybody better people.”
The Chiefs could be without Hunt this Sunday as he works through the practice squad and readjusts to the game plan.