Cut Danielle Hunter? 1 Man Thinks So.
One way to splash into an offseason? Cut Danielle Hunter — that’s the recommendation for one man who covers the Minnesota Vikings for Forbes.
Releasing Hunter would inflict an extra $5.7 million cap hit against the Vikings books, slashing the $-24 million mark at the moment to about $-30 million. It’s next to impossible for Hunter to be outright released this offseason.
Cut Danielle Hunter? 1 Man Thinks So.
But that didn’t deter Steve Silverman from Forbes, who published the theory this week. Silverman weighed in on the Vikings fashionable cut candidates, and he evidently believes Minnesota should tunnel deeper into a salary cap hole by jettisoning its best defensive player.
Silverman described Hunter’s perceived weaknesses, “Hunter was at his best in 2018 and 2019 when he had 14.5 sacks in each of those seasons. He had two injury-plagued seasons in 2020 and 2021. He was healthy last season, but he did not have the same impact or energy that he did in his earlier years.”
Hunter graded as the NFL’s seventh-best EDGE rusher in 2022 with an 87.7 score, according to Pro Football Focus.
Silverman alluded to Hunter’s $18.8 million cap hit in 2022 and concluded, “It’s a huge cap hit, but he can’t dominate a game the way he did in the past. Cut him.”
Hunter spent the early part of the 2022 campaign acclimating to a 3-4 defense for the first time in his career, and indeed, it took a few weeks to get cooking. That’s just the way it goes for defenders habitually encountering alternate defensive schemes for most of their careers. Hunter’s adaptation to a 3-4 system after about a month should actually be commended.
Too, Hunter is 28 and will turn 29 around Week 8 of next season. He has plenty left in the tank per the history of other prominent EDGE defenders and could continue strong into his 30s. The notion of offloading Hunter because he didn’t produce — or is too old at 28 — is a little kooky.
Hunter’s contract is unfavorable for a player and will likely be extended by a handful of years this offseason. He signed a team-friendly deal about five years ago with ex-bossman Rick Spielman, and that contract is finally sunsetting. Vikings fans should be stunned if Hunter is released, if only because of the nasty reverse cap penalty. It’s cheaper to keep or extend Hunter than cut him.
Silverman also recommended the Vikings keep Dalvin Cook and Harrison Smith while releasing Hunter, of course, and parting ways with longtime wide receiver Adam Thielen.
Minnesota has about two and a half weeks to render all these verdicts on expensive veterans if it wants cap space to sign external free agents.
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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