Saints Expected To Sign RB Kareem Hunt & LB Anthony Barr, Pending Physicals

According to Dianna Russini, the Saints are expected to sign both RB Kareem Hunt and LB Anthony Barr, assuming both pass their physicals. 

Both are in New Orleans for a visit as the Saints look to upgrade their depth at running back and linebacker. 

New Orleans won’t have RB Alvin Kamara for the first three games of the season, though they also signed RB Jamaal Williams this offseason and drafted RB Kendre Miller in the third round. Miller has been rehabbing a knee injury and coming along slowly, however.

The Saints have been banged up at linebacker, too, with both short and long-term injuries. 

Hunt, 27, 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 following video of him kicking a woman.

The Browns elected to sign Hunt to a one-year contract worth over $1 million, not factoring in a suspension. Hunt forfeited $303,529 of his $645,000 base salary with his eight-game suspension, with a chance to earn $200,000 in per-game roster bonuses upon return.

Hunt re-signed with Cleveland as a restricted free agent heading into 2020. He was set to make $3.27 million under the second-round tender before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2021 when he signed a two-year, $13.5 million extension before the start of the season.

Hunt is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

In 2022, Hunt appeared in all 17 games for the Browns and rushed for 468 yards on 123 carries (3.8 YPC) to go along with 35 receptions for 210 yards receiving and four total touchdowns.

Barr, 31, was taken with the No. 9 overall pick by the Vikings back in 2014. He played out the final year of his four-year $12,743,500 rookie contract and made a base salary of $2,157,750 for the 2017 season.

The Vikings elected to pick up Barr’s fifth-year option, which paid him around $12.306 million for the 2018 season. He entered unrestricted free agency in 2019 and, after initially committing to the Jets, returned to the Vikings on a five-year, $67.5 million deal.

Barr agreed to a pay cut entering the 2021 season that guaranteed a chunk of his salary and made him an unrestricted free agent in 2022. The Cowboys signed him to a one-year deal and later placed him on the PUP list. 

In 2022, Barr appeared in 14 games for the Cowboys and recorded 58 total tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries.

We have Hunt included in our Top 100 Available 2023 NFL Free Agents list.