'To enjoy that with him will be a special moment' – Patrick Mahomes on playing in Super Bowl with one of his closest friends
When the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on February 9, running back Kareem Hunt will playing in the big game for the first time in his career. The Chiefs drafted Hunt in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. It was a great pick, as Hunt lead […]
When the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on February 9, running back Kareem Hunt will playing in the big game for the first time in his career.
The Chiefs drafted Hunt in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. It was a great pick, as Hunt lead the league in rushing as a rookie with 1,327 yards, earning him a Pro Bowl nod.
The future appeared bright for Hunt in Kansas City, but it came to an abrupt end in 2018 when he lied to the organization about pushing a woman to the ground and kicking her. Hunt was released by the Chiefs, and he spent the next five seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
While Hunt was still a member of the Browns in 2022, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes invited him to his wedding. While attending, Hunt caught up with several of his former Chiefs teammates and coaches. Fast forward to Week 2 of the 2024 season, K.C. had a big need for a RB after starter Isiah Pacheco suffered a significant ankle injury.
The Chiefs signed Hunt just days after, and he immediately became their workhorse back. Now, Hunt will share the field with Mahomes during the Super Bowl after missing out on so many when he was released. While speaking to the media on Thursday, Mahomes talked about the person Hunt has matured into being, and their friendship off the field.
"With Kareem, obviously he made his mistakes, but I knew the person before and the person after," Mahomes said. "I knew that he had a good heart. He had to learn from his mistakes and he became a better person because of it. He dealt with the consequences, and he's trying to rebound and just be a better person for the community more than anything. Knowing him and how close he was to me, but also how he treated Brittany (Mahomes) and how he treated my family has always been special. I wanted to have him at my wedding, I didn't think anything of having all my coaches there, I was just trying to have all the people I love at my wedding. Coach Reid talked to him (Hunt) there, and they were able to talk about things, and we never knew that was going to be coming back to the Chiefs. But, getting him back now, you can tell he appreciates the moment. He appreciates being out there on the practice field and being in the building. It's been fun for him to have the impact on this team that he's had, and it's been a big impact, and the chance to get to the Super Bowl with him. He was one of the first people I met when I got to Kansas City, and not to be able to enjoy those Super Bowls with him, to now finally getting to enjoy one with him will be a special moment. Hopefully we can get a win so he can enjoy that too."
Hunt also spoke to the media on Thursday and reminisced about he and Mahomes' time together during their rookie seasons.
"I met him and I was like, yeah, this guy's a gun-slinger from Texas Tech," Hunt said about Mahomes. "I watched his highlights and I was like, okay, we're going to take this thing over, man. We're going to bring a winning culture and win some Super Bowls. We came in together. We were roommates as rookies, and hung out all the time. We used to go to Top Golf, do everything together, and just hang out all the time. It was kind of weird because I was actually playing and with Alex (former Chiefs QB Alex Smith) , and he (Mahomes) was just a backup. Now he's the face (of the NFL)."
It's an incredible comeback story for Hunt whether K.C. wins the Super Bowl or not. Including the playoffs, Hunt has rushed for 728 yards on 200 carries and seven touchdowns this season. He has been the hot hand between him and Pacheco as of late and could lead the Chiefs in carries during the Super Bowl. The 29-year-old Hunt is slated to hit free agency in the offseason.
