Danielle Hunter Decision Still Paying Off for Vikings
When the Minnesota Twins entered last offseason, they had to decide whether they would pay both Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter. The former made it easy when he chased the bag with the Atlanta Falcons. The latter was thrown a ton of money to stay with his hometown team.
Danielle Hunter Decision Still Paying Off for Vikings
Cousins leaving the Vikings allowed the franchise to draft J.J. McCarthy and put him in a position to immediately contribute. With Hunter leaving and Minnesota already prepared for that, they pivoted and spread the money around.
Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel joined the Minnesota Vikings and were incredibly effective for Brian Flores’ defense. Both players were candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year, and each quickly became a fan favorite. It seemed like a regular situation that one or both would meet at the quarterback, and throughout the year, they continued to rack up sack totals.
Not only did Minnesota use a first-round pick on McCarthy, but they also traded up to add rookie Dallas Turner. He didn’t factor in significantly as a rookie, but he showed plenty of promise and remains a player who should be featured on the defense this year. His immediate depth, and being on a rookie contract, paved the way for a payday on Tuesday.
Last season, Van Ginkel made $9 million with the Vikings. He will now make $23 million in the year ahead. It’s fair to argue that he is already underpaid at that valuation.
How Van Ginkel follows up his debut with Minnesota remains to be seen. It would be relatively difficult to think he could do more than he accomplished in year one. However, Flores certainly put him in constant positions to succeed and was able to utilize every aspect of his skill set. If Van Ginkel settles in even more this season, the opposing offenses should be worried.
The Vikings need their revamped defensive front to take some pressure off the secondary this season. With an elite edge rushing group, they could do just that. The additional talent in the middle only makes them a greater threat.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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