PFF Predicts Contract Extension for Prominent Viking
Dustin Baker
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Under the surface of Minnesota Vikings football, outside linebacker Danielle Hunter needs a new contract.
The rather obvious request was overshadowed this offseason by free-agent newcomers, departing Vikings like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks, the NFL draft, and Justin Jefferson’s probable extension.
PFF Predicts Contract Extension for Prominent Viking
But Hunter is scheduled for about $5 million in ‘new money’ this season, an embarrassing figure for a pass rusher of Hunter’s status. Accordingly, the 28-year-old needs a new deal.
And when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gets down to brass tacks, Pro Football Focus has a prediction for the soon-to-be agreement. PFF’s Brad Spielberger claims the deal should be worth three years and $67.5 million, with $37.1 million in guarantees — which is all that really matters in an NFL contract anyway.
Spielberger explained, “Odds are, Hunter does not want to simply add on to a season with a $5.5 million cash outlay and, thus, agree to a deal that is far smaller in overall value. Here, we are projecting a brand-new three-year contract that runs through 2025, when Hunter will be 31 years old, and he could still sign another deal. This is a really tricky contract to project, considering Hunter has a troubling recent injury history but is also an extremely talented and productive player on a defense not exactly flush with them.”
Hunter signed his first contract extension (five years, $72 million) in 2018 just as he was morphing into a true pass-rushing monster, and it was a wonderful deal at the time for Hunter and the Vikings. Then, injuries arose two years later, shelving Hunter for the entirety of the pandemic season, 2020, and half of the 2021 campaign. Thereafter, he had little leverage for a new contract because two iterations of Vikings management wanted to ensure Hunter was back, healthy, and ready to go.
“The extension would narrowly exceed the three-year cash flow for recently extended Miami Dolphins edge defender Bradley Chubb but not jump into the true top shelf of the position market. Hunter may ultimately want even more than this, which could leave Minnesota in an interesting position after already trading away Za’Darius Smith,” Spielberger concluded.
Hunter answered any naysayers last season, playing all 17 games and acclimating to a 3-4 defense for the first time in his career. The LSU alumnus was back to his old self, ranking as the NFL’s seventh-best EDGE defender per PFF. Indeed, Hunter is ‘back,’ and the puny $5 million in new money on tap likely displeases Hunter and his agent.
Last year, the Vikings ranked 27th in defensive DVOA, 30th in points allowed, and 31st in yards allowed despite winning the NFC North and tabulating a 13-4 record. The defense must improve to stave off overall team regression in 2023, and a happy Hunter is the special sauce.
When the deal comes to fruition, Hunter should earn $22.5 million per season, at least according to PFF. The extension would nominate Hunter as the NFL’s sixth highest-paid EDGE rusher per average annual value.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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