Vikings, Danielle Hunter Agree to Contract Extension
The Minnesota Vikings have completed a second long-term contract extension with a star defensive player this offseason.
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday morning that the Vikings’ star pass rusher Danielle Hunter has agreed to a contract extension to stay in purple and gold for the foreseeable future. Ian Rapoport added that his understanding is that it’s a five-year deal worth $72 million in total ($40 million guaranteed), $14.4 million per year.
The #Vikings have agreed to terms on a contract extension with pass rusher Danielle Hunter, sources tell @mikegarafolo and me. Another piece of their young core locked up.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 27, 2018
The #Vikings agreed to terms with DE Danielle Hunter on a 5-year, $72M extension, source said. $40M in guarantees. He gets a $15M signing bonus .Big-time money for a budding talent. 💰💰💳
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 27, 2018
The 23-year old already has three seasons under his belt, two as a full-time starter at defensive end opposite Everson Griffen. Hunter finished the 2016 season tied for third in the NFL with 12.5 sacks at just 22 years old and added another 7.0 sacks last season.
The Hunter extension ensures that Griffen, Hunter and Linval Joseph are all under contract through the 2022 season — three Pro Bowl caliber players along a dominant defensive line.
Minnesota signed linebacker Eric Kendricks to a five-year extension earlier this offseason worth a total of $50 million, or roughly $10 million per season. The Vikings have two of four major contract extensions completed with Stefon Diggs and Anthony Barr due next.
Securing Hunter for the long haul means securing a dominant pass rusher that is still a few years from his prime. Very few, if any, pass rushers in NFL history could boast the resume at 23 years old that Hunter can right now. It won’t be a surprise to anybody if he’s widely regarded as the top pass rusher in the NFL in a few years.