the course of a weekend. I think it's now over, but,
but
let's summarize what happened.
Kareem hunts wanted a new contract for a while.
I remember when he signed his current deal a couple of years
ago, I thought I did really Team friendly
and and now he's
he's finally realized.
This is really Team friendly.
Wants a new deal, hasn't gotten a new deal,
all of a sudden decided he was going to do a partial hold in.
In where he wasn't going to participate in team drills.
But what participate in individual drills wants
a contract. Wants to be traded Brown said, no new contract.
We're not going to trade you reportedly. The Browns were
finding him
for not participating
in the team drills,
and then on Sunday, he backed off
like this isn't working.
I'm just going to go back to
being, you know, the message sent to the rest of the league,
if anyone wants to trade for me, but they say they're not
going to trade
me. So,
and before we hear from Kevin stefanski, On that I
I'm always a believer in a guy trying to get more,
right? But you better be confident that it's going to work.
You can't you can't just be a guy that
that isn't one of the
members of the nucleus of the team
that takes a stand and they just smack you down and they
don't care. I mean you you have to at least be in a position
where you've got enough skill
and you've got enough equity with the team that when you try
to get more there's a pretty good chance it's going to work
and I think right now Kareem Hunted. Best is on the bubble
of being a guy at best is on the bubble of being a guy that
could get the team's attention and he clearly didn't. Yeah,
I think that's the right
way to say he's a, he's a really good player. He's
talented. There's no question, but I mean it's obvious. He's
not the best running back on the football team.
You know, he's not the Bell cow guy. He's not the most
explosive as compared to Nick Chubb. And I think you're
saying that, right? There's not a lot of ground to stand on
here to where it's going to make the team go. Oh no!
Like wow, wait, you know, we're not
To be able to live without you not practicing or being a part
of our football team. He is an important part of the football
team, no doubt, but he's not one of those Crown Jewel guys.
Mi Garrett, some of the other guys on the football team
where they go. Whoa, wait, you know, we're not going to be
the same team without you. Now
they're not going to trade them the Run games, important,
right? That mean. They're a team that's built around
the run, their offense of line. They're going to try to keep
a little wear and tear off a Nick Chubb. So he does have that
value there but they
also have some other running backs behind them
and I The most important thing to me Mike is,
you know,
we're how quickly we forget, you know, Cleveland as a team,
you know, that took a chance on Kareem hunt when things were
not so great.
And I bet you
there was a time before he got this to year. 12 million dollar
contract where he was going on, man. I hope I didn't blow it
and don't have a chance, you know? Hope I get another chance
to maybe make a little money
and Cleveland's a team that reached out. Sign him brought
him back home too. Heiio, and then,
of course, gave him, you know,
some change here
and it's pretty good. Change for a backup running back again
for a market, where we're seeing running backs, not get
paid a lot. This is a guy that's a backup and hey, still
making six million dollars a year. So,
yeah. I don't think I don't imagine anything happening here
unless they get just blown away by some trade-off or by some
other football team. But I think that's highly unlikely at
this point what we'll talk about the number that you said,
if six
In a year in a second, but let's be clear on this. Yeah,
Brown's didn't suddenly decide to play the role of Father
Flanagan. They saw a guy who was the NFL's leading rusher,
rookie sure who washed out of Kansas City after he was caught
on video shoving and kicking a woman, he lied to the Chiefs
about at the video showed that he wasn't telling the truth.
The Chiefs cut him, it was right around, Thanksgiving ish
a week or so after Thanksgiving in 2019 2018, excuse me.
Then he got suspended.
Eight games, and, and he and Nick Chubb.
Became the most dangerous combination of running backs in
the NFL now. Last year, Kareem hunt, Miss some games due to
injury.
Some think dear Ernest Johnson have leapfrogged him. Now, I
looked at the team's website they have yet to release
the non-binding officially unofficial depth chart. All
teams usually put one out before their first preseason
game, I think they're required to
but I suspect, Spect. He's still number two. Yeah, Johnson
did a lot last year, when both chub and and Hunt where
I remember that Thursday night game, where he tore up
the Broncos, but
but it we're not,
you know, we're not talking about a guy where they just
threw him a Lifeline out of the goodness of their heart. No,
I can't. Chris, here's the thing about the contract.
He has a salary of one point three, five million.
He's got 200,000
of his roster bonus tied to actually being available.
Please get 3.4 million this year tied up and being in
the 46, man
Gameday lineup. And if he's not every game,
200,000 is gone.
Turn it. Thousands gone. I wonder if they could placate
him. Just by saying we're going to give you that full 3.4 and
not make you be healthy enough because you're playing
a position
car crash. You know, I can be able to play, you know, last
year had per game, roster bonuses
of 135,000, a game
and how many games
He missed eight like nine games. Yeah. Eight or not.
You're right. Nine or either. He them is state or not. One of
the other was 17 it gets screw it right? But yeah, that
money's gone forever. There it is. Played 8 games
last year, so he missed nine of those checks
that money's gone and it's never coming back. And I have
a feeling that may be sticking in his craw little bit. Well,
I think so and I think maybe that's a little remedy to
situation. We've seen that done before for really good football
players.
But again, I don't know if I've seen it done a whole lot for
the guy that you're right is you know, we just Explain that
he's the backup but it's not by like a lot. There's some other
good players there. I do
think he is the guy. He's very talented.
He's worthy of being
a number one, running back.
I get that too, but you know, it seems weird or now because
they took the chance on DeShaun Watson, but that was, that was
controversial at the time when they did that.
And I think that's why he signed that type of contract because
again, there wasn't a lot of teams reaching out to Kareem
hunt going. Hey, we want you and the video that you had
bring that to town because That's good for, that's good
for business for us.
So, you know, that's where you know, again,
I'm like, you, I'm always for the player getting money. I am,
I just have a hard time,
you know, on this one thinking he's got a real side to bargain
with here and he might just have to maybe do what you said.
Maybe their agent can get something done, some sort of
middle ground or
hey, just by your time and do your best to stay healthy this
year and be part of that, running back crew. And next
year, hopefully you can see a pretty good payday. With
another football team that maybe wants to make you
a starting running
back.
And that's not going to be the easiest thing to do either he
is 20, yes, get out there right, as of this weekend. And
and that's getting on the older side for running backs, because
you have that constant every year
new arrivals from college, full tread on the tires cheaper than
other. That
rookie wage scale.
You get them in the mid to late rounds. You're not paying much.
You throw the guy out of The Fray and it's cheaper. Far
cheaper than what? What cream hunt would want when he's on
the open market, me, as
I was just say, one more thing to, I mean,
you know, with the with, like what you were saying, I know
it's a car crash position and we worry about that. And
I understand that, but at the same time,
you know, don't you feel? Like there's less solid. There's
less Solid Ground to stand on, you know, and saying, Hey,
I want to be the guy when they're going to go. We'll wait, you
missed eight games. The first year you were here,
you played one full season
and you missed nine games last year.
And why would we pay you more money when you haven't proven
that? You can even like handle the workload of being
the backup guy yet? So that's where I feel like it's a little off
even though. Again, that's the brutal thing about the running
back and
I understand that I don't want to sound insensitive, but I'm
just trying to explain maybe Cleveland's view of it in
a business, you know, standpoint that way what? I'm sure that it
has been an issue for Kareem hunt ever since Nick Chubb,
signed the 3 year
36 million dollar extension in
E1, you hear about it from family members, you hear about
it from friend, that's right. You're just as good as him,
you're just as good as him.
He's getting, he's getting that much. He's getting 12 a year
and you're getting six
but you got to work for, like most of it, you got it. You
can't even, you can't even be injured at the position that
causes the most injuries in all of football and you lost
135,000, a game. Well, you know that there's just thought
it your you get a lot of pressure, I do the situation
like that, you're a lot of pressure from people around you
and At that manifests itself and he tried he tried
stayed out of Team drills, for a couple of days, realized that
wasn't going to work. Here's Kevin stefanski. Talking about
the situation yesterday, specifically, whether or not
cream hunt has bought in with the 2022 Browns.
Yeah, I'm not gonna call or go that far
Scout. I'll just
tell you. We got some work to do and that's what we'll focus on.
We're working. No distraction, this is normal.
This is normal, guys. This is a
NFL football.
Far as I know.
He was asked whether it's whether he wishes he had
a normal training camp that was his response. This is normal.
Is it with the shawl Watson especially with DeShaun Watson?
Now it's it should be normal because they they did this,
this isn't a surprise.
So it's normal from the perspective of what they were
signing up for when they traded for him. But I'm sure he hopes
that this version of normal doesn't become the norm
and now you for. And that's the thing.
Kareem hunt picked a hell of a time
to take a stand. No doubt already.
Freaked out about the whole DeShaun Watson thing now,
Kareem hot a guy. Who's number two, it best on the depth chart
says, Hey, I want more money or I'm not going to practice
in the team drills. Yeah, you just tell that guys, sit down
and shut up. We got bigger fish to fry right now. Yeah, yes.
I mean you know you don't want to maybe be that blunt but
it is normal other than the DeShaun Watson thing
I mean again
well no, I know that's a big thing and I did it again.
I don't believe in from what I know. I don't think Kevin's Is
he was the guy that was out there going. Hey, let's get
the show on Watson team. Let's get the show on Watson
team that's why I think before the break. You know, we had
a few conversations where I went, I kind of feel bad for the guys
been put in a very tough spot here.
All right, but I think what he's saying is
distractions contracts,
you know, dealing with 90 football players and having to
deal with some, you know, hurt Egos and some issues that way
that is normal business in the NFL,
it is now. Yes, he's been throwing the ultimate, you
know, curveball there with the Sean Watson and And I also
wonder sometimes would like
you know yeah the Watson things a huge issue. Mike like you're
talking about but then even with
a guy like Kareem hunt, maybe wanting more money. You know,
the DeShaun Watson contract and that situation I'm sure doesn't
help out things either.
So there's, there's a lot of things in play there, but
I'm glad to see that. They got that figured out. They need
their stable of running backs this year more than ever.
I don't think you RI are expecting to Sean Watson, back
anytime before week 10.
At the very best.
So that's where I look at it and go, hey, Jacoby percent,
they're going to try to play a
ball control. Hopefully, their defense could be really damn good
and Nick Chubb. Kareem hunting a few
passes here and there.
And I would imagine that's the kind of style of football they
want to play. So
that's where he does have value to the team and maybe we'll get
some good touches this year to kind of show everybody. Hey
like I am top 10 ish top 12 ish as far as a running back, goes
in the NFL. Because again, we saw that
I Pat Allen when he was the guy in Kansas City. There's no
question about that. It seems like more and more teams are
adopting Mike tomlin's. We want volunteers won't hostages
but the Browns are not one of them.
At least, as it relates to Kareem hunt. You're not getting
out, you're not getting a trade. You're not getting a new
contract at least not this way. Maybe that was the message that
God into practice. This isn't the way to do it. Not now
we want to talk about this. Let's talk about it but
stay aging, a partial hold in
out of the blue two weeks into training camp that is not the way
to get the contract that
that you