Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid runs one of the NFL’s most demanding training camps each summer in St. Joseph, Missouri.
So why is Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, while approaching his age-30 season, so enthusiastic about this one coming up in 2025?
The answer’s simple: He’s missed out on this for two years.
“I’m very excited, man, because I feel like that’s gonna help me in the long run — be able to prepare my body for the long run, the long season and grind,” Hunt said of training camp last week. “And not have to start from behind, pretty much.”
Hunt, who agreed to re-sign a one-year deal with the Chiefs on March 14, became the team’s leading rusher last season while overcoming difficult circumstances.
The Chiefs signed Hunt in September, and the veteran back was a steady contributor after that, posting 724 rushing yards in the regular season.
That also was a grind. Hunt joked last season about joining the Chiefs while “coming off the couch” ... but he wasn’t exaggerating much.
Though Hunt worked out with his former track coach Matt Luck to stay in shape during the summer, he came to the Chiefs midseason, without any training camp. KC didn’t ease him in, either; Hunt became the workhorse back in his second start against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 7, rushing 27 times for 102 yards.
The next day, Hunt recalled that he “couldn’t even get out the bed” because his body was so sore.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m gonna make it into work,’” Hunt told The Star during an interview late in the season.
The veteran pushed through, however — and for a second straight campaign.
In 2023, Hunt also didn’t get an invite to an NFL training camp, signing with the Cleveland Browns in September following an injury to Nick Chubb.
And the year before that? He didn’t have a full go either, as Hunt skipped some Browns training camp team workouts as part of a “hold in” while attempting to get a contract extension.
Though he only played 13 regular-season games for the Chiefs last season, Hunt finished with the second-highest carry total (200) of his eight-year career.
“That was without a training camp,” Hunt said. “So I feel like definitely with a training camp and everything, and just taking care of my body, working every day and eating right, I feel like it’ll help me in the long run.”
It’s probably still too early to know what Hunt’s exact role will be for the Chiefs next season. The team also signed free agent Elijah Mitchell and has Pacheco and rookie fullback Carson Steele returning next season. There’s also a decent chance the Chiefs add to their backfield with an upcoming draft pick.
Hunt, for his part, said he’d be content just “doing whatever Coach (Andy) Reid and those guys ask me to do.” He had three carries for nine yards in the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX — his first experience playing in the NFL’s final game.
“It put a lot of fire under me. You never want to go to the Super Bowl and lose,” Hunt said of the loss. “But I’m just grateful I got to experience that. You definitely want to get back there and see how it is on the other side.”
Hunt was emotional outside the locker room afterward, not knowing if that might be his last game with the Chiefs.
Now Hunt, who turns 30 in August, will get another shot to prove he can help the Chiefs win again.
While also getting a longer ramp-up period this time.
“I love playing for the Chiefs, man. The culture is just great there,” Hunt said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but look, we’ve got a lot of work to do. And I feel like we’ve got another good shot at it.”
The Kansas City Star
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Jesse Newell — he’s won an EPPY for best sports blog and previously has been named top beat writer in his circulation by AP’s Sports Editors — covers the Chiefs for The Star. His interest in sports analytics comes from his math teacher father, who handed out rulers to Trick-or-Treaters each year.