Cleveland Browns: 5 teams that could trade for Kareem Hunt

Kareem Hunt has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, but the team said no to the request. That won’t stop the speculation on what teams might be interested in acquiring him

Kareem Hunt, the Cleveland Browns No. 2 running back, but likely a No. 1 back on any other team in the NFL, has come out and demanded a trade over the weekend as he enters this training camp on the last year of his current contract.

According to multiple reports, the request was made, and the team has said no. Hunt has been at camp but has only been participating in individual drills and has not been involved in the team portion of the practices. That changed on Sunday when Hunt did work out again in team drills.

Hunt has been outspoken in recent weeks about his desire to get a new long-term deal done with the Browns. But the Browns have created a full room of running backs behind the two primary guys, including D’Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton, and Jerome Ford, who they just drafted out of Cincinnati.

Hunt’s contract is in the last year and he could be owed over $6. 5 million with the incentives that are built into that contract. Most of those are based on him playing in games. Last season he missed nine games due to injury and that cost Hunt some funds.

Even with Cleveland saying that they won’t trade Hunt, that won’t stop the speculation. Maybe the two sides can come to some arrangement in the short term to give Hunt some more money upfront and not base Hunt’s salary this season mostly on games played. This may show Hunt that the Browns want to work with him but not agree on a long-term deal until after the season.

Or maybe the team simply does nothing, tells Hunt, like they just did publicly to go out and prove himself on the field before they agree to an extension.

With all this in mind let’s take a look at some teams that might consider working out a trade for Hunt even though the Browns have said they wouldn’t trade him.

5 NFL Teams that could trade for Kareem Hunt

No. 5 team: Kansas City Chiefs

Hunt began his career in Kansas City and won the rushing crown in his rookie campaign. The former Toledo Rocket was a superstar, and nothing looked to stop him and the Chiefs’ rise in the NFL.

But there were problems off the field, that were well documented in the past. Those issues led to his release, even though he was one of the best running backs in the league. The Browns stepped in and brought him to Cleveland

Now the Chiefs are struggling trying to find a new running back to help their team. They’ve had a great quarterback in Patrick Mahomes and players like tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill carry the offense but finding that back has been difficult.

They currently have Clyde Edwards-Heaire taking most of the snaps, but he’s been very inconsistent. They’re going to need a better run game too because Hill has moved on to the Miami Dolphins.

Obviously, the Chiefs cut Hunt once so they may have no interest at all, but Hunt has proven to continue to be an excellent back.

No. 4: Arizona Cardinals

An NFL team that would greatly benefit from the trade of Hunt would be the Arizona Cardinals. They do have James Conner returning and while he’s done some decent things in his career, he’s no Kareem Hunt. Though, in Conner’s first year in Arizona, he did pile up the touchdowns with 15 touchdowns and ran for 752 yards.

Still, Arizona hasn’t had a great run game for some time and Hunt could be a game changer for them. They’ve contended for the top of the NFC for several years now.

Arizona doesn’t have depth at the running back spot so making a trade for Hunt would make some sense. Hunt has gotten used to playing in a tandem with Nick Chubb, so doing the same with Conner could work. Hunt wants to get paid, and Arizona could handle the trade as they have $9.5 in cap space and then look to sign him to a long-term deal.

No. 3: New Orleans Saints

Alvin Kamara has been the Saints’ primary running back over the years, but now he faces a lengthy suspension for off-the-field issues. It’s a bit of irony that the Saints would consider trading for Hunt now because their back is facing a suspension.

Behind Karama, New Orleans has no depth at the back position. Trading for Hunt makes sense for the Saints due to this. He would be the featured back and excel, getting to play inside for home games and show off his undeniable talents. Keep in mind that Hunt is still only 27 years old, but that window of time that a back is at his best is probably going to start closing sooner than later.

Hunt would also get to reunite with former Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry and that would be a nice benefit to both I’d expect.

No. 2: New England Patriots

Bill Belichick has made a habit of landing players who find a second life with the New England Patriots. For that reason, Hunt in New England makes sense.

While the Patriots have put together a decent group of running backs themselves including Damien Harris, having the opportunity to bring in a legit No. 1 back in Hunt could put the Patriots in contention for a deep playoff run.

A coach like Belichick would utilize Hunt’s talents on the field very well and Hunt would thrive in a spot like New England. The Patriots don’t have as much cap space right now, around $3 million, according to spotrac.com, but I wouldn’t expect that from stopping at getting involved in trade possibilities for Hunt.

No. 1: Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have an aging Cordarrelle Patterson as their primary back — even though he’s not technically a running back. While he had a resurgence in his career with the Falcons, he is aging at 31 years old. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings back in 2013 as a wide receiver. So, the team needs a No. 1 running back for sure. They also have the cap space to pursue the trade for Hunt as they have over $11.5 million.

The Falcons need some better talent all the way around and getting a player like Hunt to run the ball but also take those screen passes from their new quarterback Marcus Mariota. While Atlanta has some other young talent on offense like tight end Kyle Pitts, they don’t have enough to contend this season.

Giving Hunt a chance to catch on with another team like Atlanta would give Hunt the main duties in the backfield. The Falcons could continue using Patterson in the run game but could give him more time out in the passing game as well maybe extending his NFL playing career.