Getty Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith (not pictured) were snubbed on PFF's edge rusher rankings ahead of the 2022 season.
Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter‘s name is echoing through NFL trade circles.
The 27-year-old defensive end, after playing just seven games in the past two seasons, has struggled with injuries approaching a 2022 season where his cap hit is $26.1 million — a hefty price for a player who has not been readily available the past two seasons.
That cap hit has been the ball and chain attached to Hunter by many writers inventing potential trade scenarios for one of the league’s elite pass rushers, pushing a narrative that a trade would help a new Vikings regime clear cap space and build for the future in free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Ben Ballantine recently dubbed the Baltimore Ravens as a potential trade suitor for Hunter, adding to a growing list of possible trade scenarios — many holding little merit.
Most trade proposals are tinged with desperation for the Vikings to get out from under that massive cap hit and fail to offer fair compensation through draft picks or players.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is not nearly as desperate to make a move on Hunter as it may seem.
The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
Vikings Can Create Cap Space and Keep Hunter
Yes, Hunter carries the seventh-highest cap hit among edge rushers in the NFL as a player who hasn’t provided half of his 2019 Pro Bowl production of 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
Coming off a 2020 season where Hunter underwent surgery for a herniated disc in his neck, Hunter’s future in the NFL was in question due to the dubious nature of that type of injury.
The Vikings restructured Hunter’s contract in the 2021 offseason, adding more guaranteed money to the deal and adding void years to the contract to push those earnings further down the road. It was a win-win for both sides looking to see how Hunter would return.
He proved he’s every bit the same player in 2021, posting six sacks in seven games before suffering a torn pectoral injury this season.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!
Danielle Hunter against the Cardinals: 7 pressures, 4 hurries, 3 sacks, 7 tackles, 81.2 overall PFF grade.
He’s second in the league in sacks and looked like his pre-injury self on Sunday.
Hunter’s pectoral injury has been cause for concern and a reason fans are ready to move on from the youngest player to reach 50.0 sacks in NFL history. However, it’s unrelated to his prior surgery and is a more routine recovery than neck surgery.
The majority of Hunter’s 2022 cap hit comes in the form of an $18 million roster bonus that is fully guaranteed by the fifth day of the new league year (March 21). That bonus has caused some alarm that the Vikings need to ditch him now to free up funds for free agency starting March 16.
But Minnesota doesn’t need to start making calls to create cap space. The Vikings can convert Hunter’s roster bonus and stretch those earnings across the final four years of Hunter’s contract in $4.5 million increments, per Zone Coverage’s Luke Braun.
If that’s done, Hunter’s cap hit in 2022 will be $12.6 million — ranking 23rd among edge rushers next season — and the Vikings offload $13.5 million on the upcoming season’s books.
Trade scenarios where Minnesota rids itself of Hunter’s contract in exchange for jumping a few spots in the first-round draft order or offers containing picks less than a first-rounder are ludicrous for the Vikings to entertain at this point in the offseason.
But there are some concerns about Hunter’s loyalty moving forward.
Verdict is Still Out on Changes in Minnesota
Star Tribune reporter Andrew Krammer reported in February 2021 that Hunter was unhappy amid trade rumors surrounding his name last year due to the Vikings’ handling of his injury and him being underpaid.
From Krammer, per the Purple Insider podcast:
I know [Hunter] was not happy with how a lot of it was dealt publicly — in terms of the information that came out about his injury, his process in seeking surgery and deciding to get operated on. He wasn’t happy with a lot of that and made that known to people in the open.
Because of that, we know he’s unhappy on one end of the spectrum and on the other end we know he’s also been really underpaid for some time. We haven’t heard that from him, but we know that’s gotta weigh on him. There was that vague NFL media report that he wants to be the highest-paid defender in the NFL. I don’t know if any of that is true, I can’t verify that, but he’s underpaid and that’s another part of it.
The verdict is still out on how Hunter feels about the Vikings in 2022.
Minnesota moved on from his position coach and mentor, Andre Patterson, whom he posted a photo with on Twitter after Patterson took a job with the New York Giants earlier this month.
There’s also speculation surrounding Hunter’s role in a 3-4 scheme, which newly hired head coach Kevin O’Connell has tasked Ed Donatell and Mike Pettine to installing after years of playing a 4-3 scheme in Minnesota.
However, that concern is a moot point.
Hunter’s shown to be one of the most talented athletes and able to take teaching and adjust to the NFL game after a mediocre showing in college as a former third-round pick.
Hunter has similar measurables in size, speed and agility with 3-4 linebacker and Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt, who tied the NFL record for most sacks in a season (22.5) in 2021. Hunter can still be a force in a 3-4 defensive scheme with the Vikings, who should make an effort to convince him he has a future in Minnesota amid a flurry of speculation surrounding the futures of Vikings veteran defenders.