August 6: There have been questions about Kareem Hunt’s future with the Browns on a contract dating back to the early months of the offseason. At first there didn’t seem to be any drama as both sides took a low-key approach to the negotiations that seemed inevitable, but now, with the regular season out of breath, Hunt appears to be acting bolder. Hunt sat out team drills for the second straight practice today, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson , telling the Browns he plans to only participate in individual drills. Reports in May described the contract situation as up in the air, arguing that if the two sides fail to address negotiations before camp, it would likely lessen the chances of Hunt remaining in Cleveland this year. Just a week later, further reports claimed that despite the lack of certainty about his future, Hunt was “still very much in the Browns’ plans for this season,” saying the team had no plans to trade or release Hunt due to lack of meaningful extension negotiations. It took a few more weeks before Hunt finally made his point that he wanted to re-sign with the Browns, wanting an extension but choosing to take things “day by day” in mid-June. Once fully healthy soon after, Hunt made further comments about his contract situation. “I hope to get paid,” Hunt said. “So you know, whatever they decide, they know I’m going to go out there and give it my all and do whatever I can to help the team win.” That obviously only applies to the regular season, considering Hunt’s new preseason plans. The two recent “partial holdings” were “the first time since practice that Hunt did not participate” in team drills. Cleveland can and likely will fine him for his lack of participation. Hunt’s agent was reportedly at the Browns facility earlier this week, likely to work on a potential new deal for the 27-year-old. According to Anderson, team members have said he “wants to be paid or traded.” The belief is that he really would prefer to stay in Cleveland, he just wants to be paid what he’s worth. The Browns were fine playing slow on a new deal for Hunt after he missed nine games last year between injuries and COVID-19. Because of the time lost and the way the second year of his contract is set up, it made sense that Cleveland would be fine with allowing Hunt to finish out his contract year and renegotiate a new deal after the season. They seemed to get their lead from Hunt, but now, with Hunt’s new decision to be more vocal about his wishes, they find themselves in the unpleasant position of having to deal with negotiations in the weeks leading up to the regular season. A native of Willoughby, OH, Hunt made it known recently that he would like to eventually finish his career in Cleveland, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Unfortunately for Hunt, he doesn’t have much power. A plethora of running backs who can contribute and a contract that doesn’t punish the team too much for waiting stacks the deck against Hunt. Hunt is expected to be the Browns’ No.2 running back behind star running back Nick Chubb. D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton both had opportunities to show their stuff in Hunt’s absence last year, and rookie fifth-round pick Jerome Ford showed some serious potential coming into the league. The running back combination has the potential to make Hunt redundant, especially if he decides to continue to hold out. Hunt certainly has the talent to be a starter in this league, as shown during his breakout year in Kansas City, and he likely wants to be paid like that. Unfortunately, the odds are against him, so he has taken drastic measures to try and achieve his means. With Cleveland’s first preseason game six days away and the regular season starting in just over a month, time is running out for the two sides to come to terms.
