Bears chairman George McCaskey was asked about the possibility of the team signing RB Kareem Hunt on Thursday and reiterated what GM Ryan Pace said, which is they “aren’t there yet.”
“Ryan said we’re not there yet; I think that’s the best way to put it,” McCaskey tells the Chicago Tribune. “He’s not eligible right now. He may not become eligible for quite some time.”
When pressed on the perception that they aren’t ruling out the possibility of signing Hunt, McCaskey said: “We’re not there yet. Ryan hasn’t said anything to me about Kareem Hunt. And Matt hasn’t said anything to me about Kareem Hunt.”
Bears HC Matt Nagy said a few weeks ago that he reached out to Hunt.
“I think the important thing, as Matt pointed out,” McCaskey said, “is that he addresses his personal situation before worrying about football. I think that’s a demonstration of the kind of guy Matt is. He called him to have a non-football conversation because they had a player-coach relationship. I think that says a lot about Matt. He’s not just interested in these guys as football players. I think that’s one of the reasons the players respond to him so well.”
Last weekend, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Hunt will likely be back in the NFL and have a job “sooner rather than later.”
According to Schefter, multiple teams have expressed interest in Hunt, who has been undergoing anger-management counseling daily after a video surfaced showing him shoving and kicking a woman.
Sources have told Schefter that Hunt appears to be making progress with the counseling, which has led to some teams expressing interest in him.
As of now, Hunt is on the commissioner’s exempt list and a suspension from the league is expected to be handed down before free agency.
Hunt, 23, is a former third-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2017. He was in the second year of his four-year, $3.263-million contract and set to make base salaries of $555,000 and $645,000 over the next two years of the agreement when the Chiefs waived him in December.
In 2018, Hunt has appeared in 11 games for the Chiefs and rushed for 824 yards on 181 carries (4.6 YPC) to go along with 26 receptions for 378 yards receiving and 14 total touchdowns.
We have him featured in our Top 50 – 2019 NFL Free Agents list.
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