Oct 10, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter (99) celebrates a sack of Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (not pictured) during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell sounded optimistic Tuesday about Danielle Hunter’s chances of remaining with the club in 2023.
“It’s going to be a day-to-day thing. Danielle and I have had such good dialogue over the last few days and built a plan for him that allows him to feel good about coming to work as a Minnesota Viking every single day. We’ll continue to work through the contractual side and let that be dealt with — with Kwesi,” O’Connell told reporters at training camp.
But not everyone’s convinced an extension will occur.
Some theorize the Jacksonville Jaguars as Hunter’s next stop, likely via trade. Why? Well, Hunter evidently followed the Jaguars on Instagram. A shaky hint indeed, that’s the latest hypothesis on Hunter’s evolving saga.
SI.com’s Will Ragatz substantiated the idea Tuesday, “One interesting subplot that fans have noticed is that Hunter is following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ official account on Instagram. Other than the Vikings, it’s the only team account he follows. That might mean absolutely nothing, but at the very least, it’s one of those things that makes people go ‘hmmm’ and break out the eyeball emojis on Twitter.”
Hunter, 28, is slated to receive just $5.5 million in ‘new money’ this season, which has caused the pass rusher to hold out of Vikings minicamp in June and ‘hold in’ at training camp. The man reported to training camp this week but won’t physically practice, according to reports.
“Hunter also follows several current and former Jaguars on IG, including current edge rusher Josh Allen. Again, it’s just interesting. Could it be an indication that a trade with Jacksonville is in the works? Probably not, but in the modern NFL, it can’t be totally ruled out,” Ragatz added about the Jaguars rumors.
Contract standoffs between Hunter and the Vikings are nothing new and actually span back-to-back general managers. Hunter signed a five-year extension in 2018 with former Vikings boss Rick Spielman, blossomed into superstardom shortly after signing the deal, and began nibbling at another extension about 3-4 years ago.
Then, Hunter missed all of the 2020 season with a neck injury, half of the 2021 campaign with a torn pectoral muscle, and returned to full health last year when he played all 17 games and logged 10.5 sacks.
Hunter also acclimated to a 3-4 defense for the first time last year and graded as Pro Football Focus’ seventh-best EDGE rusher in the business. Alas, he has a leg to stand out when asking for a large new contract.
It is unclear if the Vikings will extend or trade Hunter, but Jacksonville — and 30 other teams, quite frankly — cannot be ruled out if Minnesota opts for the latter. Social media ‘follows’ and ‘likes’ are generally pretty flimsy evidence of eventual outcome, however.
The Jaguars also employ former Vikings linebacker Heath Farwell as special teams coordinator.
Minnesota traded Hunter’s teammate, Za’Darius Smith, to the Cleveland Browns in May.
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.