BEREA — Running back Kareem Hunt has taken his push for a contract extension to the next level.
He hasn’t participated in team drills during the last two practices because he wants a new deal, a league source confirmed to The Chronicle-Telegram. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson was first to report the reason Saturday after practice.
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Hunt has continued to do individual drills. He is entering the final year of a two-year, $12 million extension signed in 2020.
“I hope I get paid,” Hunt said at his youth camp in June. “So you know, whatever they decide, they know I’m going to come out there and give it my all and I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win.”
He said he felt a sense of urgency to complete a deal.
“Man, as soon as possible,” he said. “On both sides, if they come correct and make me feel great, then I’ll be willing to be here.
“If not, we’ll see where it goes after that. I really don’t know.”
The Browns didn’t comment Saturday. A team usually fines a player in such instances.
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Hunt, who turned 27 on Saturday, joined the Browns in February 2019 and was suspended by the NFL for the first eight games after a pair of off-field altercations during his time with the Chiefs, including pushing and kicking a woman. The Browns have complimented him for his on-field work and off-field behavior since joining them.
But with starter Nick Chubb, a three-time Pro Bowler, signing a three-year, $36.6 million deal last year, general manager Andrew Berry seems reluctant to give Hunt a multiyear extension, at least at the price he’s asking.
Hunt was limited to eight games and one start by calf and ankle injuries last season, rushing for 386 yards, five touchdowns and a 4.9 average and catching 22 passes for 174 yards and a 7.9 average. He played all 16 games with five starts in 2020, rushing for 841 yards, six TDs and a 4.2 average and adding 38 catches for 304 yards, an 8.0 average and five TDs.
D’Ernest Johnson is third on the depth chart behind Hunt, is coming off a breakout season and is in the final year of his contract. Rookie fifth-round pick Jerome Ford is next.
