Danielle Hunter plans to let his situation play out as he is about to enter free agency again this upcoming offseason.
Last summer, the four-time Pro Bowler agreed to a one-year, $20 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. However, now that the 2023 campaign is over, if the Minnesota Vikings plan to keep him, they may have to sign him on a similar (or better) deal, which could be a problem due to cap constraints.
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Danielle Hunter’s Minnesota Vikings stint so far
Danielle Hunter has spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings. The 29-year-old came to the team after he was picked No. 88 overall (third round) in the 2015 NFL Draft.
This star pass rusher has set career highs this 2023 in combined tackles (83), solo tackles (54), assists on tackles (29), and sacks (16.5). He also had 23 tackles for a loss this season, the best mark in the league, and his 86 quarterback pressures were fourth-best in the NFL.
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Danielle Hunter, who won NFC Defensive Player of the Month in November, has recorded double-digit sacks in four of his last five seasons. All in all, he has had five such campaigns and is currently sixth on the Minnesota Vikings’ all-time sacks list.
This year, the Minnesota Vikings started 0-3 but recorded six wins in the next seven matches, including five consecutive victories despite losing Kirk Cousins due to a ruptured Achilles three games into their unbeaten run. However, they missed out on the NFL playoffs after going 1-6 towards the end of the regular season.
Danielle Hunter doesn’t mind playing the waiting game with the Minnesota Vikings
Danielle Hunter is poised to be one of the top free agents this summer, so he will have no shortage of suitors. The Minnesota Vikings, by the way, cannot franchise-tag him.
“Just letting everything play its course. I did my job. Everything’s in my agent’s hands and my team and whomever it is that’s out there,” said Hunter. “My job, like I said, is to do my job. And I’m gonna make sure I stay in shape and whatever it is best available for me, I’ll take that.”
The ball is now in Minnesota’s hands on whether Danielle Hunter stays or walks in free agency.
