The Vikings Trading Danielle Hunter Would Be a Big Step Towards a Rebuild
Trading Danielle Hunter would be a move unlike any other the Vikings have made this offseason in terms of what it would signify about their present and future.
Moving on from mainstays Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks made sense. Both are at least 31 years old and coming off down seasons. Same with Patrick Peterson and Za'Darius Smith, who are also at least 30 and hadn't been in Minnesota for long. Even getting priced out of Dalvin Tomlinson's market was understandable; he's 29 but plays a non-premium position and was only a Viking for two seasons. Those moves helped the Vikings get younger and create some cap space, but they still fit into the "competitive rebuild" idea.
Trading Hunter would be another story.
Ian Rapaport reported on Wednesday that the Vikings are receiving trade calls on Hunter and that there is serious interest around the league. He's set to make just $5.5 million this season as a result of money being moved up in previous years, but he won't play at that figure and the two sides have not yet worked out an extension. Thus, it's not surprising that teams are calling to inquire about Hunter's availability.
There are a plethora of factors to consider for both the team and the player. But let's make one thing clear: the Vikings trading Hunter would be a big step in the direction of an actual rebuild. Unlike the other players they've moved on from this offseason, he's a great, borderline elite player who occupies a premium position and is still in his prime at 28 years old. He has also, when healthy, been a staple of the team's defense since being drafted in the third round in 2015.
PFF Projects a Contract Extension For Vikings' Danielle Hunter
Minnesota has already dealt Smith, who finished fourth in the league with 78 pressures last season. If Hunter and his 70 pressures (T-7th) are next, that's nearly 150 pressures from two Pro Bowl edge rushers out the door. Heck, Tomlinson was fourth on the team with a career-high 29 pressures. Deciding to trade Hunter — the team's best defensive player and the 11th-best edge rusher in the league according to PFF — would mean further depleting a defense that would be led on the edge by Marcus Davenport, D.J. Wonnum, and Patrick Jones II, plus a potential free agent stopgap.
If it ends up happening, Brian Flores will have his work cut out for him trying to field a competent defense, given the question marks that already exist in the secondary.
And yet, that might be a necessary step. One can make an argument that the Vikings should've leaned into a full rebuild several years ago. Even after a misleading 13-win season set a nice foundation in the first year of the Kevin O'Connell era, the Vikings don't seem to be any closer to reaching a championship level. Thus, rebuilding may still be the way to go.
If Hunter is demanding a price the Vikings don't want to pay him on an extension, trading him could make sense. It would keep his theoretical large contract off the books in future years while possibly netting the Vikings a second-round pick and more. With that draft capital, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could try to find Hunter's replacement next April. Or, more excitingly, he could use it as ammo to trade up for one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 draft.
Then again, there's an argument for keeping Hunter, who turns 29 in October. Great players at premium positions are hard to find, and Hunter is young enough to figure into a multi-year plan. He could easily remain highly productive for at least another three or four seasons.
It'll all come down to how much money Hunter is asking for and how much teams are willing to offer in a trade.
Rapaport reported that the Vikings have "tried to do kind of a bandaid-type deal to compensate (Hunter) for 2023." After all of the contract drama and band-aid moves Hunter has dealt with over the last few years, there's no reason for him to be interested in something like that again. He wants to cash in on his 2022 season with a big multi-year contract, and he should. Some team, whether the Vikings or otherwise, is going to pay him upwards of $20 million a year to rush the passer.
If it's not the Vikings, and they decide to trade him, they'll be taking a big step towards a rebuild. Whether you like that or not will be up to you.
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