Danielle Hunter Leaving the Vikings Is Now a Real Possibility
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings dedicated the 2022 offseason to wholesale change, replacing general manager Rick Spielman with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Mike Zimmer with presumptive candidate, Kevin O’Connell.
The embracement of change is exciting, but sometimes change doesn’t proceed exactly as one might expect.
Adofo-Mensah has an impending decision on the future of EDGE rusher Danielle Hunter, a marvelous defensive player beset by injuries during the last two seasons. If Hunter was healthy in 2020 and 2021, extending his contract — at any price — would be a no-brainer. However, Hunter only played in 21% of Vikings games since the start of 2020, casting into doubt his long-term durability.
Because Adofo-Mensah is new and Hunter’s contract is up in the air, Hunter could feasibly leave the Vikings this spring.
And due to a recent series of events, the possibility is more likely than ever.
Foremost, defensive line coach turned co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson left the Vikings this week, embarking on his next career chapter with Brian Daboll and the New York Giants. Hunter was tight with Patterson, evidenced by a tweet moments after the Patterson-to-Giants news broke.
Hunter rarely tweets, so this post illuminates his lament of Patterson exiting the franchise. Of course, this does not guarantee Hunter is disgruntled or leaving, but the exodus of his trusted coach isn’t ideal for Hunter staying with the Vikings. He could reasonably end up reuniting with Patterson in New York. Football relationships like this matter.
Next, Hunter’s injury track record (as of late anyway) makes it less likely for Adofo-Mensah to jump into a Hunter extension with two feet. Availability is king in sports, and Hunter’s has been teensy in the last two years. It is not a rubberstamp that Adofo-Mensah believes Hunter is worth $25-$30 million per season.
On this topic, Hunter is at a spot — he’ll be 28 years old this season — where he’ll desire one humongous contract. Hunter famously played on a team-friendly deal with the Vikings, orchestrated by the master of such deals — Rick Spielman. Teammates Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen also performed on reasonable deals in the last few years. Hunter won’t be interested in team-friendly anything this time around — you can take that to the bank. This is his last-best chance to hit it big with the Vikings or elsewhere. He’s aware of it. His agent is aware of it.
Too, the era of change in Minnesota is an inherent hurdle for keeping the Vikings, as a whole, status quo. Adofo-Mensah will evaluate Hunter and Kirk Cousins, the two salary-cap magnets on the roster. Retaining Cousins and Hunter would be “more of the same” in an offseason already defined by “change it up.” Switching up Cousins or Hunter would be a preordained confirmation that a foundational makeover is indeed in full effect.
Last, Mike Zimmer is gone. Who knows if Hunter liked or disliked Zimmer — the consensus in the aftermath of Zimmer’s termination is some did and some didn’t. If he felt Zimmer aided his rise to stardom — Zimmer emphatically did just that — perhaps Hunter would like a fresh start. This brand of Vikings defensive leadership, presumably led by Ed Donatell, is different. Some players take the swap of coaches as a line in the sand to pick a different path. That could be now for Hunter.
Thankfully for Adofo-Mensah, Hunter doesn’t quite have the leverage he possessed at the end of the 2019 season. The flurry of injuries substantially impacted Hunter’s future.
You should not be surprised if Hunter is traded while his stock is relatively high.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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