Vikings May Move On from Danielle Hunter
EDGE rusher Danielle Hunter has played for the Minnesota Vikings for seven seasons, and at no time has the 27-year-old been closer to exiting the franchise via trade than now.
When Hunter is healthy, he is tremendous, tabulating numbers and a presence worthy of top-five pass-rusher consideration in the league. Recently, though, Hunter has been plagued by injuries, playing in just seven Vikings games out of 33 since the start of 2020. That’s availability 21% of the time.
In fairness to Hunter, he’s not habitually injury-prone, as the health maladies only started during the last two seasons. However, the organization is outfitted with new general management that might look to turn the page on Hunter’s unavailability.
On Wednesday, Ben Goessling from the Star Tribune reported the team is exploring trade options for the Vikings defender, the first credible hint on Hunter’s future of the offseason cycle.
And another Vikings-themed entity with connections opined on the why of a possible Hunter trade:
To date, Hunter’s contract(s) with the Vikings has been fairly team-friendly. If his camp finally wants to cash in on a gargantuan extension, new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah may be hesitant because a) the sudden injury history b) the lack of funds for the Vikings right now.
Minnesota is barely over the salary cap threshold to sign new free agents as of March 16th.
The way Hunter’s contract is structured, however, the team does have significant leverage. Monetarily, the Vikings “own the rights” to Hunter but disrespecting the LSU alumnus could lead to a situation where he holds out or is generally disgruntled.
If traded, Minnesota could probably land a 2nd-Round draft pick along with a 4th-Rounder or so, emulative of the Khalil Mack trade last week from the Chicago Bears to the Los Angeles Chargers. Because Hunter is younger than Mack — and in the absolute prime of his career — the Vikings could even swing a late-round 1st-Rounder, plus a 4th-Rounder or so.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”974004″ player=”26279″ title=”WATCH%204%20ideal%20Baker%20Mayfield%20trade%20scenarios%20from%20the%20Cleveland%20Browns” duration=”120″ description=”Speculation has picked up steam regarding a potential divorce between former No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns.” uploaddate=”2022-03-16″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/973913/973913.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
The timing is curious for shopping Hunter. Via free agency, EDGE rushers are rapidly finding new homes, diminishing the need for a terroristic pass rusher like Hunter. A market will still exist, but several ballclubs already landed their keynote 2022 pass rusher when the week began.
Losing Hunter would feel like a temporary death blow to the Vikings defense. Why? After Hunter on the roster for pressure merchants, the only names are D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, Kenny Willikes, and Janarius Robinson. That won’t cut it — by a mile — for a 2022 pass rush sponsored by Ed Donatell.
It’s probably more likely for Hunter and the Vikings to reach an agreement as rushing the passer is not a gridiron area to gloss over in the 2022 version of the NFL. Passing the football is at a premium — more than ever — so defenses need to rattle quarterbacks before the ball leaves the hand.
Trading Hunter would leave the Vikings with peanuts for pass rushers for an undisclosed amount of time.
From 2015 to 2019, before Hunter encountered persistent injuries, he ranked sixth in the NFL in sacks (54.5).
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. 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).
Vikings Territory Also Read: Jalen Hurts Did Something to Vikings That’s Never Happened Before
You must be logged in to post a comment.