Rapoport Expects Bucs To Pursue RB Kareem Hunt

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In a radio interview on the Ronnie and Tkras show on 95.3 WDAE this week, Ian Rapoport from NFL.com expects the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be the in the mix for the former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt. While there is a need to solidify the running game with a back such as Hunt, Rapoport did say that the decision of signing of a player like Hunt would be made by the owners of the team due to his history off the field.

Ian Rapoport remarked on the show saying,

“I would expect teams like the Bucs with big time running back needs and the propensity to  make a splash in free agency to be linked to him.

“These decisions to bring a guy like Kareem Hunt in are made by the owner. That’s where it comes down to it, do the Glazers say: ‘We are okay having this guy in the building, given what he has basically been proven to have done.’”

The Bucs are no stranger of taking on guys with off the field troubles. QB Jameis Winston is a recent prime example of the Glazers sticking with a player despite multiple issues off the field, and in Winston’s case even if it resulted in a three game suspension. At that moment in the season, many in the media and in the fan base questioned the thinking of the organization by sticking with Winston after he returned from his suspension. After the QB controversy dust settled though, it became clear that the Bucs made the right decision in sticking with Winston. That decision was galvanized even further after new HC Bruce Arians threw his support immediately behind him, and stating him as his starter.

With three separate incidents involving Hunt that has put him on the Commissioner’s exempt list, much of how the Bucs (and other teams) decide to further approach Hunt will hinge on the impending investigation. Which is reportedly supposed to wrap up before the start of free agency per Ian Rapoport. The signing of Hunt will be a delicate matter for any team that signs him, but is sure to provide a boost to any backfield instantly. Which will force teams, like the Bucs, to judge if the reward is the worth the risk of another incident looming and/or a PR nightmare.

Stay tuned to BucsReport.com as this story develops.

You can also check out the full interview below:

 

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