NEW ORLEANS — Andy Reid likes to joke that the Kansas City Chiefs plucked Kareem Hunt “off the couch.” To the Chiefs running back, however, his coach’s description of how Hunt re-joined the team that drafted him is not just funny hyperbole.
“It is the truth,” Hunt said Tuesday.
After he worked out at his former high school and used the sauna at a local YMCA to stay in shape for the NFL, the 29-year-old Hunt signed with the Chiefs following an injury suffered by Isiah Pacheco. Hunt has a team-best 836 yards rushing, including the postseason.
Although the Chiefs’ pursuit of a third consecutive championship has grown tiresome for some fans who are fed up with their dominance, Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles is a new experience for veterans such as Hunt and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who will play in the Super Bowl for the first time in their decorated careers.
“I stayed patient,” said Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro. “To be in this opportunity, to be here, I think for my career, I think it kind of solidifies me to be where I want to be when I’m done.”
Playing for the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans before he was traded to the Chiefs in October, Hopkins hadn’t reached a conference championship game since 2019. In that game, the Texans took a 24-0 lead before the Chiefs rallied for a 51-31 victory. Hopkins caught nine passes for 118 yards.
After leading the league in rushing as a rookie in 2017, Hunt was on the way to making his first Super Bowl appearance. He was dismissed by the Chiefs in November 2018, however, after he was caught on video pushing a woman to the ground and kicking her. Authorities did not proceed with criminal charges, but the NFL suspended Hunt for the first eight games of the 2019 season after the Cleveland Browns signed him.
“I learned how to think before you react,” Hunt said. “Don’t go off emotion.”
Hunt is familiar with getting second chances from Reid. He recalled Tuesday that he fumbled on his first NFL carry and was immediately overcome with the thought his career would be over. He thought he was going to be a bust.
Then Reid gave assurance he would get the ball on the Chief’s next play. Hunt has been trying to repay his coach’s faith since.
“I’m just grateful to be able to come back to where it all started,” Hunt said, “and hopefully finish it out and do the unthinkable and three-peat.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
