The New Orleans Saints desperately need more help at running back next year and will need to find it for cheap. Could they target a player that will be playing in the Super Bowl in just a couple of weeks?
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently surveyed the running back market ahead of free agency and tried to pair some of the top players with new teams. The Saints were listed as one of the teams to watch for Kansas City Chiefs veteran Kareem Hunt. This was his reasoning:
While Hunt may no longer be a high-end starter, he’d be a strong complementary option in any committee backfield. After playing on a one-year, $1.2 million deal in 2024, Hunt should expect a contract in the $3 million range for 2025… The Saints could use a physical running complement to Alvin Kamara and need to find one on a budget.
It is clear that Hunt is no longer the Pro Bowl back that he used to be at the outset of his career, his rookie season was his best with 1,327 yards and eight scores. Still, he could be of some value to a team.
He had a bit of a bounce back campaign this year, with a larger role than expected thanks to an Isiah Pacheco injury. In 13 games (eight starts) he posted 728 yards with seven touchdowns. He did so on 3.6 yards per rush.
Alvin Kamara is going to be the premiere back and focus on the New Orleans offense next season, but that isn’t going to get the job done (as this season proved). Behind Kamara, no one has made themselves indispensable. The Saints will either need to draft or sign some new competition.
