Back in 2018, the Minnesota Vikings signed Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter to a five-year, $72 million contract. Now the 28-year-old is heading into the final year of said agreement and wants an extension. For now, Hunter is headed into 2023, with a cap hit of $13 million, which ranks ninth among outside linebackers. Yet, he’ll see $5.5 million of that amount after the Vikings restructured his deal last offseason.
But it doesn’t appear as though the seven-year-pro has any interest in playing out the final year of his contract. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Hunter is officially holding out from the team’s mandatory minicamp, and is seeking a new contract.
Previous reports from Ian Rapoport suggested other teams around the league are already swarming the waters, trying to trade for the star pass-rusher, but there’s been no indication that the Vikings are open to a trade at this time.
Hunter has had an odd couple of seasons with the Vikings in recent time. In 2020, Hunter missed the entire year with a neck injury. He’d return in 2021, but only for seven games as a torn pectoral muscle wrecked his year.
But then Hunter bounced back, playing all 17 games in 2022, recording 10.5 sacks in the process. At this point, he has to feel he’s deserved a bigger payday, whether the Vikings feel the same way remains to be seen. Yet, if the Vikings don’t step up, another team surely will.
After trading Za’Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns, the Vikings can’t afford to part with another key pass rusher in the same offseason. Marcus Davenport was signed over the spring, and the former New Orleans Saints first-round pick has an elite pressure rate since entering the league, unfortunately, they haven’t translated to sacks.
With Hunter on-board, the two could form a dynamic duo. Without him, defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ job will get a lot more challenging in his first year on the job.
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