The Kansas City Chiefs have been so dominant in recent years that winning Super Bowl rings almost feels like routine. Any player who has been on their roster over the past five seasons has either won a ring or, at the very least, played in the big game—except this year’s rookies.
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However, two players on the current roster have yet to play in a Super Bowl, let alone win one—and the defending champions drafted one of them in 2017. Those players are RB Kareem Hunt and WR Deandre Hopkins.
The Chiefs drafted Hunt in the same year as Patrick Mahomes in the third round of the 2017 draft. While one is having a legendary Hall of Fame career, the other failed to live up to the potential despite an amazing rookie season.
Hunt led the league in yards with 1327 and had 8 TDs in his rookie year. He still put up over 800 yards in his 2nd season but his off-field antics which include assault charges against him, led to his release. Unsurprisingly, the Browns signed as a backup to Nick Chubb where he went on to have moderate success considering the chance he got.
He returned to Kansas City after five seasons in Cleveland following Isiah Pacheco’s injury in week 2. Signed to the practice squad, they soon promoted him to the active roster, and led the team in rushing yards with 728 on 200 carries while adding seven TDs. Now, he stands a chance to get his first ring while playing in his first Super Bowl.
Despite being a veteran, Hopkins has never played or even whiffed at the Super Bowl despite playing for three different teams. He has never even played in the Championship game. He did, however, play against the Chiefs in the 2019 divisional round.
Now both players have the opportunity to finally see their efforts and time in the league pay off if the Chiefs pull off a three-peat. So how do Hunt and Hopkins feel about this moment?
Both are absolutely overjoyed. Hopkins shared that he’s just a small-town guy who dreamed of making it to the NFL. He’s grateful to still be in the league, getting paid to do what he loves.
” I was just a kid from a small town who wanted to play in the NFL. I did that and then I got a second contract.”
Hunt reflected on his journey, emphasizing that his time in the NFL has made him smarter, contributing to his resurgence at this stage of his career.
“The longer I’ve played in the NFL, the more intelligent I became. I just think the experience helped. All of us played a lot of football and we’ve been out there a lot in big games.”
If the Chiefs accomplish what no team has done before, both Hunt and Hopkins will forever be part of NFL and Kansas City history. They would officially become part of a dynasty, with DHop even strengthening his case for the Hall of Fame.
