Kareem Hunt wasn’t just a redemptive story for the 2024 season. The Kansas City Chiefs have decided to actually make more of a long-term commitment to the veteran running back after finding a sweet reunion with Hunt last season after five seasons away from K.C.

On Friday, the Chiefs announced the re-signing of Hunt to a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million per NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.

The chance to re-sign with the Chiefs in mid-March is quite the shift for Hunt from last season. Hunt had to wait until well into the regular season to sign with a team last year, leading some to wonder if his career might be over after five seasons spent with the Browns. As it turns out, Hunt had a lot left in the tank.

The Chiefs signed Hunt to help bolster the backfield after Isiah Pacheco went down with a leg injury and was sidelined for much of the year. Hunt ended up carrying the majority of the load in the ground game and led the Chiefs in rushing with 728 yards on 200 carries. He also had 7 touchdowns on the ground last season.

Hunt’s return to Kansas City was a welcome turn and heartening chapter after five seasons away. The Chiefs originally drafted Hunt in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft (the same rookie class as Patrick Mahomes), and Hunt landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated after his first NFL game. He was the ideal offensive cog to go with Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill in the game’s most potent offense.

Then came assault charges and Hunt’s poor decision to lie to the franchise that drafted him about what happened in the whole saga. Former Chiefs general manager John Dorsey offered him a new place to land in Cleveland near his hometown, and that’s where Hunt remained in tandem with Nick Chubb for a half-decade.

The decision to bring back Hunt is a curious one for the Chiefs who were looking to upgrade the backfield overall. Hunt gives the team a comfortable presence who can be a nice short-yardage back, but the Chiefs have lacked dynamism for the last couple of seasons. The team added Elijah Mitchell in free agency, but he’s also a lottery ticket with major injury concerns coming in.

While the Chiefs now have Mitchell, Hunt, Pacheco, and Carson Steele, the team is still expected to address the position in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft with such a loaded draft class and no one under contract into 2026.