Cleveland Browns have no intention of trading Kareem Hunt

There has seemingly been a whirlwind of trade rumors coming out of Berea since the offseason began. Despite most of them coming to fruition, for the time being, one of them will not. It’s being reported by Mary Kay Cabot (via the Pat McAfee Show) that the Cleveland Browns have “no intention” in trading running back Kareem Hunt.

This statement really says a lot about how the Browns see themselves as a team this season and even moving forward.

At first, reports came saying that Hunt was going to hold out from team drills until he received a contract extension. Around this time, many thought that Cleveland was going to send him to the Philadelphia Eagles, but Hunt’s holdout did not last for long and he rejoined the team in more than just individual drills.

However, shortly after this, the league released their ruling that Deshaun Watson would be facing a hefty suspension. Once that news broke, Hunt once again found his name in the rumor mill and many believed that Cleveland would trade him to the San Francisco 49ers for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Adding Garoppolo to the team while Watson serves his suspension may bring the Browns a couple of extra wins this year, but it’s clear that the front office and the coaching staff are confident heading into the season with Jacoby Brisett as the team’s starting quarterback.

Along with this, third-string quarterback Josh Dobbs put on a show in the Browns’ preseason game against the Eagles and will be ready to go as well if his number gets called. While this isn’t an incredible place to be at the quarterback position, it’s only for 11 games and Brisett will have one of the top supporting casts around him.

The second thing that the statement shows is that Hunt may end up getting the extension that he wants after all. Through this process, outside of a couple of days, Hunt has made it clear that he wants to remain a member of the Browns and wants a contract extension.

Barring any major injuries this year, if Hunt continues to play at the level that he has since joining the team, an extension should be reached sometime during the regular season or early into the offseason. Fitting another extension into the cap situation may be a bit difficult, however, general manager Andrew Berry has pulled off much more daunting feats when tackling the cap.

Hunt is almost essential to the core of this Browns team and it should be one of the top priorities to get a new deal done, especially if the Browns are not going to trade him.