The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Hunt is second-round tender, Burnett cut
The Browns give restricted free agent Kareem Hunt a second-round tender, Morgan Burnett is cut and three exclusive rights free agents get tendered. Jeff Schudel breaks down a busy day in Berea.
The Browns have said they still believe in Kareem Hunt, and March 16 they showed that belief with their checkbook.
Hunt, who will be a restricted free agent when the league year begins March 18, received a second-round tender from the Browns on the same day they cut safety Morgan Burnett and tendered offers to three exclusive rights free agents — tight end Pharaoh Brown, running back Dontrell Hilliard and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge.
The players receiving the ERFA tenders cannot negotiate with other teams. The tender given to Hunt for $3.251 million means the Browns would have a week to match any offer the former South star running back gets. A team signing Hunt to an offer sheet would have to compensate the Browns with a secondround choice if they do not match.
Hunt made $596,471 last season, playing eight games for the Browns. He was suspended for the first eight games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy when he was caught on video shoving and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February 2018. The video surfaced Nov. 30 of that year. He was cut immediately by the Chiefs, the team that drafted him in 2017. Hunt led the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards as a rookie.
Hunt was caught speeding on Interstate 90 in Rocky River on Jan. 21. Police discovered marijuana and an unsealed container of vodka in a backpack on the backseat of Hunt’s car, but he was ticketed only for the speeding violation. Hunt told police he would have failed had he been forced to take a drug test at that moment.
“It’s not good,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said Feb. 5 during a news conference to introduce Andrew Berry as general manager. “Kareem knows he’s got to do better. Kevin (head coach Kevin Stefanski) and Andrew have talked to him about it, and I’ll just leave it at that. What he did is not acceptable. He’s got to do better.”
Hunt rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns and caught 37 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown last season.
Hilliard led the Browns in kickoff (421) and punt (107) return yards. He rushed for 49 yards with two touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 92 yards.
Brown, a Brush graduate, started six of the nine games he played and had two catches for 27 yards.
Hodge appeared in all 16 games and led the team with 13 special teams tackles. He caught four passes for 76 yards.
Burnett started eight games and totaled 41 tackles, two sacks, one interception and two pass breakups in eight games. He suffered an Achilles injury and was placed on injured reserve Nov. 19.