CLEVELAND — Could Monday night mark Kareem Hunt's last game in a Browns uniform?
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the club is exploring a possible deal that would send the star running back out of Cleveland, with officials now "willing" to satisfy Hunt's trade request he originally made during training camp. Should any deal be made, it would have to be before Tuesday at 4 p.m., which marks this year's NFL trading deadline.
Hunt, who graduated from Willoughby South High School in 2013, is currently in the final season of a two-year contract. He asked to be traded back in August when the team denied his request for an extension, but the team declined, and the 27-year-old subsequently returned to practice with head coach Kevin Stefanski saying there was "no distraction."
However, Cleveland's inauspicious 2-5 start to the 2022 campaign has apparently made general manager Andrew Berry rethink his stance, and a fifth straight loss Monday night against the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals could send things further spiraling out of control. Sources tell Schefter that the Browns "would rather receive compensation for Hunt via a trade rather than lose him in free agency" and would like to receive at least a fourth-round draft pick in return.
Following practice Saturday in Berea, Hunt attempted to brush off the latest rumors and claimed he had not spoken to the front office about a potential trade.
"I haven't said anything to them," he said. "I just come in and work. That's all I ever do."
Hunt's journey back to his hometown was a rocky one: He led the league in rushing as a rookie with Kansas City in 2017, but was later released in the middle of the next season after video surfaced of him kicking and assaulting a woman at the Metropolitan at The 9 hotel in Downtown Cleveland. Following "extensive due diligence," the Browns decided to sign Hunt that winter, with the running back apologizing for his actions and eventually serving an eight-game suspension in 2019.
The signing was met with mixed reactions among fans and media members, but in the years since, Hunt has helped develop a potent rapport with No. 1 back Nick Chubb. In four seasons with the Browns, Hunt has rushed for 1,669 yards (4.3 per carry), tallied 850 more through the air, and scored 23 total touchdowns. He has put up 350 scrimmage yards and four scores so far in 2022, although his mark of 4.3 yards per touch is currently the lowest of his career.
Hunt's current contract of $13.25 million over two years is considered well below market value for his talents, and considering the modern shelf life of NFL running backs, the upcoming free agency period could be his last chance at a significant payday. Besides Chubb, the Browns currently have three other running backs on the roster in D'Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton, and Jerome Ford, but that trio has combined for just one carry for -4 yards this season.
If Cleveland ends up hanging on to Hunt only to see him walk in free agency, it would receive a compensatory selection in the 2024 draft.
"I mean, it'll be mixed emotions, for sure," Hunt said of the prospect of Monday being his finale with the Browns. "But they'll know I gave it my all here in Cleveland, and that's what I'll always and continue to do."