The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2026 season with a thin, inexperienced group of healthy running backs, and a former NFL rushing champion remains unsigned as the opener approaches.
Sports Illustrated’s Randy Gurzi recently listed Kareem Hunt among three free agents the Seahawks could consider if questions arise after Week 1.
Hunt spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and visited the Detroit Lions earlier this week, but he has not signed with any team.
The timing is notable for Seattle, which is expected to lean on rookie Jadarian Price and George Holani while Zach Charbonnet starts the year on the physically unable to perform list. Team officials may prefer to give the younger backs the first look.
Hunt, however, would give the Seahawks an experienced option who has produced in short-yardage work and near the goal line. Hunt is no longer the explosive runner he was earlier in his career, but his 2025 numbers showed he can still contribute in a defined role.
He carried 163 times for 611 yards and eight touchdowns last season with Kansas City. He also caught 18 passes for 143 yards and one more score.
That followed a 2024 campaign in which he rushed for 728 yards and seven touchdowns after returning to the Chiefs. He has scored at least seven rushing touchdowns in each of the past three seasons.
Hunt won the NFL rushing title as a rookie in 2017, finishing with 1,327 yards for Kansas City. He enters 2026 with 5,775 career rushing yards and 55 rushing touchdowns, plus 267 receptions for 2,209 yards and 18 receiving scores.
Gurzi highlighted Hunt’s short-yardage and goal-line value as a reason the veteran could fit in Seattle.
Interest in Hunt has not been limited to one team. Pro Football Talk reported that Hunt visited the Lions on Sept. 1 after Detroit placed Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve. Detroit did not sign him, leaving Hunt available days before Seattle’s first game.
Seattle’s running back situation is unusual for a defending Super Bowl champion.
Charbonnet will miss at least the first four games after remaining on the PUP list when the Seahawks set their initial 53-man roster. He rushed for 730 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns in 2025 before tearing his ACL in the postseason.
Without him, Seattle plans to turn to Price and Holani.
Price, the club’s first-round pick in April, has not played a regular-season NFL snap. Holani has appeared in 18 games over two seasons but has only 25 career carries for 83 yards and one touchdown.
Sports Illustrated described the pair as Seattle’s “primary backs” heading into Week 1 and suggested Hunt could become an option if the Seahawks have internal doubts about the group.
Hunt would more likely arrive as a complement to Price than as a replacement.
Seattle used a first-round selection on the Notre Dame product and has reason to see what he can do with early playing time. Adding a veteran could reduce some of the immediate pressure on the rookie while giving the offense a reliable choice in obvious rushing situations.
The Seahawks have already shown they are willing to keep adjusting the roster as the regular season begins. If the backfield looks thin once the games start, Hunt remains an accomplished free agent still available on the open market.
