Kareem Hunt's still out there, and the Lions are the latest team kicking the tires. Adam Schefter broke the news that the veteran running back visited Detroit's facility, a workout that comes with the Lions clearly not satisfied with what they've got behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
Free-agent RB Kareem Hunt visited today with the Detroit Lions.
Hunt has been sitting in free agency since March, and he turned 31 earlier this month. This isn't a name that needs an introduction to anyone who's watched the NFL over the last decade. He led the league in rushing as a rookie back in 2017 with 1,327 yards and made the Pro Bowl that season, then spent last year grinding out a complementary role for the Chiefs before leaving Kansas City without a new deal.
The timing tracks with what Detroit's been doing at the position. Gibbs just got paid as the NFL's highest-paid running back, which locks in the bell cow, but the Lions still need someone to soak up carries behind him now that David Montgomery is no longer part of the plan. Bringing in a grinder like Hunt for a look makes sense as a depth play, even if it's a little surprising Detroit is going the veteran route instead of chasing a younger back with more tread on the tires.
Fantasy managers clocked the visit instantly, and the jokes started flying about Hunt's old Kansas City backfield mate. SleeperNFL couldn't resist needling Isiah Pacheco, who spent years fighting Hunt for touches in that Chiefs room.
Imagine Kareem Hunt goes and takes Isiah Pacheco’s lunch money for a second time bro 😭
That's more riff than reporting, obviously, Hunt landing in Detroit has nothing to do with Pacheco's situation in Kansas City. But it's a fair bit of history to poke at, since Hunt spent stretches out-touching Pacheco even after Kansas City handed the younger back a bigger role.
No deal came out of the visit, so for now Hunt walks away as just another name Detroit looked at. But if the Lions decide they need more juice behind Gibbs before the season kicks off, this workout is the kind of thing that tends to turn into a phone call a few days later.