Vikings Resolve Danielle Hunter Situation With Reworked One-Year Contract
The Danielle Hunter situation has been resolved: The Vikings and the three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher have agreed to a reworked one-year deal that will pay him up to $20 million in 2023. Instead of playing elsewhere after a trade, Hunter's hold-in will end and he'll be on the practice field this week.
The two sides clearly couldn't work out a long-term deal, but the short-term solution is a raise that gives him $17 million guaranteed this season with another $3 million in incentives. The contract includes a clause that prevents the Vikings from using the franchise or transition tag on Hunter next spring, so he'll hit free agency with a chance for one more sizable deal at age 29, particularly if he has a big 2023 campaign.
This move provides a big boost to the Vikings' defense. It seemed like there was a very real chance Hunter was going to be traded, which would've further depleted Minnesota's pass rush after they traded Za'Darius Smith in May. Now, Brian Flores' scheme will benefit from the presence of Hunter, who has 71 career sacks and is a borderline top-ten edge rusher in the NFL when healthy.
Hunter skipped the Vikings' OTAs and minicamp earlier this year due to frustration over his contract. Because money was moved up last offseason, he was set to make a maximum of $5.5 million in the final year of the five-year extension he signed back in 2018. Hunter reported to training camp to avoid fines, but sat out the team's first four practices while negotiations continued.
In the end, this conclusion puts Hunter on the field for 2023 and allows him to hit the open market next year. Both of the Vikings' starting outside linebackers — Hunter and Marcus Davenport — are only under contract for one season, so the team's long-term future at that position remains up in the air. For this year, at least, they'll form a high-upside duo that projects as the biggest strength of the Vikings' new Flores-coached defense.
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