The Danielle Dilemma: A Vikings Problem with 3 Potential Solutions
Right off the top, I’ll acknowledge my actual opinion: the best course of action for solving the Danielle Dilemma is to agree to an extension. Elite edge rushers are supremely difficult to find. Subtracting him from an already porous defense would be foolish.
And, of course, the Vikings would find themselves in an unenviable position after moving him. Trading Danielle Hunter would mean the Vikings are looking for someone exactly like Danielle Hunter. As of late June, only a single player on Minnesota’s roster is capable of doing what Hunter can do: Mr. Hunter himself.
Nevertheless, there are a variety of scenarios for how the holdout could end. The team has been garnering trade interest, as Ian Rapoport originally noted. Will #99 become the 16th trade for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah? The possibility is there.
What isn’t an option is a cut. That’s an outcome that makes zero sense. Moving on from Dalvin Cook via cut is only sensible when we consider the cap savings and lack of trade interest. With Hunter, there’s limited cap savings – $5.5 million – and a pile of external interest for a trade. Hunter is either on the Vikings’ roster or he’ll be traded. A cut isn’t occurring.
With that reality in mind, the trio of scenarios for Mr. Hunter and the Vikings. They’re ranked in descending order from least to most appealing.
The 3 Options in the Danielle Dilemma
Option #3 – A Stand Off that Involves Waiting Him Out
Easily the worst move is to play unflinching, stubborn hard ball. Doing so threatens to unsettle much of the positive feelings that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell have worked so hard to cultivate.
And, for the record, Danielle Hunter is very reasonable when he decides to protest his pay. In the NFL, making just $5.5 million for elite pass rushing is essentially a non-starter. He’s getting into the second half of his career and he wants greater guaranteed cash. Can you blame him? I certainly can’t.
Minnesota is marching toward a season where the doubt is widespread. The vultures are circling around the NFC North in anticipation of a steep drop off for both the Vikings and Packers. Allowing the uncertainty of the Hunter holdout to bleed into training camp and the preseason seems very unwise.
The Vikings need to be firm in their convictions and be able to negotiate effectively. They also need to do their utmost to avoid a scenario where the Danielle Dilemma turns into the Danielle Distraction.
Option #2 – Find a Trade Partner
In all likelihood, Minnesota would be getting a decent haul of draft capital in return.
An opening-round selection is unlikely, though. The acquiring team would be a bit skittish about Hunter’s injury history, age, and then the need to sign him to a new deal that pays him handsomely. All of these factors coalesce to drive the price down.
What Hunter offers is the potential to insert a truly elite pass rusher into a lineup in 2023. Every single team in the NFL wants that kind of player.
Trading him means losing this kind of ability:
Ideally, a trade would involve bringing back an upside pass rusher. Doing so would give the Vikings an opportunity to refresh their pass rush as they continue building in both the present and the future.
One intriguing option that Dustin Baker mentions on Vikings Territory is for Washington’s Chase Young, who won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award back in 2020. Since then, the ultra talented Young has battled injury and ineffectiveness on an absolutely loaded Commanders defensive line.
Pulling off a player-for-player deal is something that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hasn’t done in his time in the GM’s chair. Nevertheless, it would fit with his emphasis on acquiring upside players who were chosen high in the draft and still on their rookie deals.
Option #1 – Agree to a New Deal that Works for Both Sides
As we discussed up top, an extension is the ultimate goal. Or, perhaps, even finding a way to compensate him more in 2023 without adding more years, similar to how things worked out with Anthony Barr in 2021.
Sure, he’ll be 29 in late October, but he hasn’t lost a step. Last year, Hunter was a pass-rushing terror within Ed Donatell’s thoroughly bland defense. What might he do with Brian Flores calling the shots? Climbing back to 14.5 sacks – something he did back in 2018 and 2019 – isn’t an unreasonable expectation.
Plenty of pass rushers excel well into their 30s. Brandon Graham (35), Von Miller (34), Za’Darius Smith (30), Denico Autry (32), Justin Houston (34), and Cameron Jordan (34) are all still excellent edge rushers. The point, folks, is simply that it’s by no means unheard of for a pass rusher to play very well even after getting past the dreaded 30th birthday.
Danielle Hunter could very reasonably have 3-5 more dominant seasons left. If the team believes that’s a strong possibility, then an extension is the ultimate goal. Currently, Kwesi is working with just under $18 million in cap space. Next year, the team is projected to have north of $53 million.
The proud owner of the 7th-best PFF grade among edge rushers, Hunter can be a cornerstone player for several more years.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
