5 Teams That Could Be Interested in Vikings EDGE Danielle Hunter
Late last week, a report surfaced that the Minnesota Vikings had been garnering serious trade interest for pass-rusher Danielle Hunter, and since then, we’ve found out that he will be holding out of mandatory minicamp this week.
The big dispute here is, of course, Hunter’s contract. He is set to make just $5.5 million in 2023, and that is a huge underpay for someone that is a consistent double-digit sack player when healthy. That being said, this offseason, we’ve seen the Vikings dump a number of veteran players rather than fork over massive amounts of money to keep them around.
As a result, we cannot entirely overlook the possibility of Minnesota opting to trade Hunter elsewhere in 2023. If they do, though, who would be interested in such a trade? Here are five teams to keep an eye on.
Denver Broncos
The connection between Broncos GM George Paton and the Minnesota Vikings has already been discussed with RB Dalvin Cook, so why wouldn’t it apply to Hunter as well? The Broncos moved Bradley Chubb in order to acquire first-round draft capital from the Miami Dolphins during the 2022 season, and they could certainly use a talented pass-rusher.
The Broncos just signed Frank Clark, who is expected to take over one of the starting defensive end spots in Denver’s defense, but their other free agency acquisition at the position, Zach Allen, is probably best-suited as a rotational player to spell the older veteran.
Denver also owns each of their own first-round picks for the next few years, and a third-round pick in 2024, so the draft capital should be suitable to get a deal worked out if it came down to it.
Jacksonville Jaguars
In 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars spent the first overall draft pick on EDGE Travon Walker. They’ve also been one of the more aggressive teams in pursuit of veterans during free agency in each of the past two years.
The franchise took a huge step last season, winning the AFC South and overcoming improbable odds in a massive comeback victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the playoffs.
However, in order to take another step towards Super Bowl contention, they could use a truly dominant pass-rusher on their defense. Jacksonville hasn’t had a player surpass 10 sacks in a season since Josh Allen did so in 2019, and while he remains on the roster, the veteran hasn’t had as much success since that rookie season. Creating a trio of Allen, Hunter, and Walker could be exactly what Jacksonville needs to become an elite defense.
Indianapolis Colts
DeForest Buckner is the centerpiece of Indy’s defensive front, and it was a fearsome one in 2022, ranking among the top 10 defenses in sacks. However, Yannick Ngakoue is no longer on the team after recording 9.5 sacks over 15 games for the Colts, and right now, they are relying on big jumps from Dayo Odeyingbo and Kwity Paye to replace that production.
At some point, they do need to find out what they have in these young players, but for their defense to take some pressure off rookie QB Anthony Richardson, Hunter could be a great addition to the group. The Colts also have over $23 million in cap space, so it would be very easy for them to fit the Vikings pass rusher into their salary cap, even with a new contract.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints have always been a team that aggressively pursues talented pass-rushing talent, so the acquisition of Danielle Hunter could make some sense for New Orleans. This is especially true considering they let Marcus Davenport walk in free agency, who, ironically, signed with the Vikings.
Cam Jordan remains a steady presence at EDGE, but he turns 34 years old in July and likely cannot be relied upon for too much longer. Bringing Hunter aboard would help New Orleans replace Davenport in 2023 while also potentially being a long-term replacement option for Jordan.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders opted not to give Chase Young a fifth-year option for 2024, meaning the second overall pick in 2020 is set to hit free agency next spring. He has played in just 11 games over the past two years combined, so the 24-year-old cannot really be relied upon to be healthy in the long term.
With Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat on the defensive front, Washington is truly one piece away from a complete line of terrific players. They also have $11.5 million in cap space and can save nearly $9 million more if they opt to restructure Allen’s contract, meaning they have plenty of room to bring aboard Hunter if they want to do so.
In all, Vikings fans should be hoping that Hunter gets a new contract and returns to the team in 2023 and beyond. The 28-year-old has plenty of gas left in the tank and should be a vital piece of their defense for years to come. This exercise is merely to show which teams could be interested in the pass-rusher if he became available via trade.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.