Patrick Mahomes on Kareem Hunt's Friendship, Growth to 'Become a Better Person'

Patrick Mahomes is glad that the Chiefs brought Kareem Hunt back into the fold, with the star QB providing football and non-football reasons alike.

Oct 7, 2018; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) hands off to running back Kareem Hunt (27) during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

With the Kansas City Chiefs' running back picture taking a hit given Isiah Pacheco's recent injury, the back-to-back champs made the decision to reunite with an old friend. Kareem Hunt is officially back in Kansas City on a practice squad basis following a visit on Tuesday, providing some familiarity and depth on offense.

Hunt will provide quarterback Patrick Mahomes with physicality and receiving chops in his second act with the Chiefs, which the two-time MVP admitted on Wednesday. Mahomes focused more on non-football reasons, however, for why he's excited to have Hunt back.

Referencing Hunt's brief tenure in Kansas City from 2017-2018, Mahomes said the two were good friends.

"Yeah I mean, obviously, Kareem was a close friend of mine while he was here," Mahomes said. "Just being in the same draft class and everything like that. He came to my wedding. Obviously he went to Cleveland, had a good career there, has learned and become a better person and I'm glad to have him back now. Let's get him accustomed to the offense and see how fast we can get him out there."

A lot has changed since then, including Hunt. Mahomes thinks that's a good thing for the 29-year-old halfback as he moves on to a new chapter of his career in an old environment.

"At the end of the day, man, I just root for the person to keep becoming a better and better person," Mahomes said. "The football's secondary, but I'm glad to have him back and in the building. I gave him a high-five and a hug when I saw him, because it's a person I used to spend a lot of time with a long time ago."

After having great success as a rookie, Hunt's time with the Chiefs ended abruptly following an off-the-field incident in 2018. That, as well as not being completely honest about it with the team, led to his release from the organization. Things have never been the same from a football or life standpoint, but the latter is something Mahomes and Co. are grateful for. Earlier on Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid said Hunt has "grown up some" and the Chiefs "felt OK about bringing him back."

Everything lined up at a near-perfect time for the team and the player, thus giving Hunt a second chance in Kansas City. It's a full-circle moment for someone Mahomes is proud to have watched grow and learn from his bad decisions.

"Everybody has friends that make mistakes," Mahomes said. "Obviously, some are bigger than others but at the same time, you want to make the person better. You want to see them taking the right steps to become a better person for themselves, for their family and the rest of society. I think you've seen that with Kareem. I've stayed in touch with him just to see how he's doing, how his family is doing and everything like that. He's been able to carve out a great career in the NFL, but you've seen he's been able to keep his nose clean and be a better person. That's what you want in order to make everybody better people."

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