03-07-2024, 04:07 PM
https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/where-do-things-stand-danielle-hunter-vikings-free-agencySomewhat overshadowed by the high-profile Kirk Cousins situation,
Danielle Hunter is one of the top free agents on the market this year in
his own right (ESPN's Matt Bowen
recently ranked him as the No. 4 free agent in the league, two spots
behind Cousins). Whether or not he returns to Minnesota is a major
domino in the Vikings' offseason.
So where do things stand with Hunter? The latest report (from ESPN's Dan Graziano)
is that the Vikings have "made an effort" to re-sign him. But it won't
be easy. With Josh Allen and Brian Burns both getting the franchise tag
this week, Hunter is clearly the top edge rusher on the market this
spring. That means there could be significant competition for his
services.
"It's
safe to say teams are expecting Hunter to be in — or at least searching
for — a pretty massive price range, something well north of $20 million
per year," wrote ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
The
Vikings' primary focus to this point has reportedly — and
understandably — been Cousins' status. If he ends up leaving and signing
with the Falcons, which looks like a real possibility,
the Vikings would theoretically have more cap room over the next few
years to allocate to a player like Hunter (even with Cousins carrying a
$28.5 million dead cap hit this season). But even then, GM Kwesi
Adofo-Mensah may not want to outbid all other suitors for an edge rusher
who turns 30 in October.
The
five-year, $72 million extension Hunter signed way back in 2018 turned
out to be extremely team-friendly for the Vikings, which led to contract
drama and restructures in each of the last three offseasons. Given that
he's coming off a career-high 16.5 sacks and his fourth Pro Bowl nod,
Hunter is undoubtedly going to squeeze all that he can out of his first
trip to free agency. If there's a team willing to pay him $25 million a
year, I'm not sure the Vikings are going to match that.
"We've
obviously had these conversations for the last couple of years,"
Adofo-Mensah said at the NFL combine last week. "He had a great season,
and I don't know that anybody in Minnesota was surprised by that.
Danielle walks out of bed and is going to sack the quarterback,
pressure, impact the game. That's who he is. We'll have fruitful
dialogue like we always do. It's not just about this season, it's the
next season and all these things. You always gotta remember, the players
have their needs from their standpoint. And I always respect that. So
we'll go to the table and we'll see if we can talk about a way to find a
deal to meet in the middle."
The
Vikings will attempt to see if they can bring back Hunter, and for good
reason. If he leaves, they'll be in dire need of help at the outside
linebacker position. But when thinking about what Hunter's market might
look like, it might be more likely than not that he ends up signing
elsewhere this month.
Danielle Hunter is one of the top free agents on the market this year in
his own right (ESPN's Matt Bowen
recently ranked him as the No. 4 free agent in the league, two spots
behind Cousins). Whether or not he returns to Minnesota is a major
domino in the Vikings' offseason.
So where do things stand with Hunter? The latest report (from ESPN's Dan Graziano)
is that the Vikings have "made an effort" to re-sign him. But it won't
be easy. With Josh Allen and Brian Burns both getting the franchise tag
this week, Hunter is clearly the top edge rusher on the market this
spring. That means there could be significant competition for his
services.
safe to say teams are expecting Hunter to be in — or at least searching
for — a pretty massive price range, something well north of $20 million
per year," wrote ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
The
Vikings' primary focus to this point has reportedly — and
understandably — been Cousins' status. If he ends up leaving and signing
with the Falcons, which looks like a real possibility,
the Vikings would theoretically have more cap room over the next few
years to allocate to a player like Hunter (even with Cousins carrying a
$28.5 million dead cap hit this season). But even then, GM Kwesi
Adofo-Mensah may not want to outbid all other suitors for an edge rusher
who turns 30 in October.
five-year, $72 million extension Hunter signed way back in 2018 turned
out to be extremely team-friendly for the Vikings, which led to contract
drama and restructures in each of the last three offseasons. Given that
he's coming off a career-high 16.5 sacks and his fourth Pro Bowl nod,
Hunter is undoubtedly going to squeeze all that he can out of his first
trip to free agency. If there's a team willing to pay him $25 million a
year, I'm not sure the Vikings are going to match that.
obviously had these conversations for the last couple of years,"
Adofo-Mensah said at the NFL combine last week. "He had a great season,
and I don't know that anybody in Minnesota was surprised by that.
Danielle walks out of bed and is going to sack the quarterback,
pressure, impact the game. That's who he is. We'll have fruitful
dialogue like we always do. It's not just about this season, it's the
next season and all these things. You always gotta remember, the players
have their needs from their standpoint. And I always respect that. So
we'll go to the table and we'll see if we can talk about a way to find a
deal to meet in the middle."
Vikings will attempt to see if they can bring back Hunter, and for good
reason. If he leaves, they'll be in dire need of help at the outside
linebacker position. But when thinking about what Hunter's market might
look like, it might be more likely than not that he ends up signing
elsewhere this month.
B)