Browns and Kareem Hunt Finalize Two-Year Extension

As first mentioned by Jarraud Powers on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns and Kareem Hunt have officially come to an agreement on a two-year extension that will begin in 2021.

Initially mentioned by Jarraud Powers on Sunday, Kareem Hunt posted on social media that he was signing a contract extension along with a letter to the team and community.

Kareem Hunt bout to sign an extension with the @Browns

— Jerraud Powers (@JPowers25) September 6, 2020

Hunt is currently in the last year of his deal after signing his restricted tender, the future of Hunt was somewhat murky heading into training camp, Hunt now has some certainty and the Browns get a running back under market value.

Kareem Hunt gets $8.5M guaranteed ... and posted this graphic https://t.co/BAAVAWfIyE pic.twitter.com/vdGLOKFJUM

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 8, 2020

Because of various off field mistakes, the most egregious being the ugly incident in a Cleveland hotel where he is on video kicking a woman, Hunt risked missing out on ever getting a big pay day in the NFL, despite being an impact running back right from the start of his rookie year.

The deal is an extension for two years at a total of $13.25 million that will begin in 2021. $8.5 million of it is guaranteed. Hunt is earning $3.29 million for this season, which is more than his first two seasons combined. This guaranteed money is practically double what Hunt will have made through his first three seasons.

There is risk for the Browns in this given the issues Hunt has gone through in his career and even just in Cleveland. Although he was never cited, the dash video of Hunt of a traffic stop was a really poor look for someone trying to build trust with a team and a community.

Last season, Hunt was mediocre. During the suspension he was given for the hotel incident, he was recovering from sports hernia surgery. When he was able to return, he looked sluggish and while he did produce, he just wasn't the same player.

This year, fully healthy and really invested in his training, some of which was done with fellow back Nick Chubb, he has all of his explosion and agility, looking like the stud back he was with the Kansas City Chiefs.

It's not a huge investment in Hunt, but it does naturally raise questions about how the Browns will proceed with Chubb when his contract is up after 2021. It doesn't make anything concrete, but does provide them options, which is always a huge focus for the Browns front office.

So long as Chubb doesn't decide to hold out after the 2020 season, this all goes very smoothly for the Browns financially. Depending on where they stand in 2021, they could still sign Chubb to a deal or opt to use that money elsewhere.