All Is Not Well with Danielle Hunter
Dustin Baker
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Reminiscent of the Stefon Diggs fallout in 2020, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter is discontented with the organization that drafted him in 2015.
Per Chad Graff of The Athletic:
In 2019 and 2020, Stefon Diggs was disillusioned with the Vikings. He expressed his frustration with the team’s offense via skipping practice, all but confirming his angst in a press conference, and notoriously tweeting cryptic stuff.
Danielle Hunter has not ascended to that level of vexation, but this development is eerily similar to how the Diggs hubbub started.
In the trade market, Hunter would command a handsome ransom. But the Vikings — and followers of the team — would experience profound sorrow if Hunter departed. Of course, Minnesota minimized the resentment with the drafting of Justin Jefferson, but that seamless kind of replacement seldom occurs in successive years.
Hunter Is Underpaid
To be clear – Hunter is about the NFL’s 18th highest-paid EDGE rusher per average annual salary. He earns an average salary of $14.4 million each season.
That is not enough for Hunter’s services – assuming his return from injury is unblemished.
Of course, it is enough in the grand scheme of life. But for EDGE-rushing walks of life, Hunter is underpaid. If one can subtract his 2020 injury from memory, Hunter is arguably a Top 5 defensive end leaguewide. Los Angeles Chargers EDGE rusher Joey Bosa earns about double the money that Hunter banks. That is not acceptable.
Therefore, when one reads “Hunter is underpaid,” it is not fool’s gold. Comparative to likeminded players at his position, Hunter needs a pay raise – one that instantly careens him into the Top 10 of financial standing among EDGE rushers.
The only gamble for the Vikings is his 2021 health. And make no mistake – that is a large caveat.
Vikings Exploring Other DEs in FA
On Monday morning, the Vikings were credibly linked to free-agent talks with Carl Lawson and Trey Hendrickson. Before that, rumors surrounding Carlos Dunlap and Everson Griffen circulated the organization.
If trade-Hunter talk is legitimate – no wonder the team is scurrying to find pass-rushers. Filling the void left by Hunter would be a mammoth undertaking. Without Hunter last season, the Vikings were the NFL’s worst pass-rushing team per Pro Football Focus. And, they notched the fifth-fewest sacks leaguewide.
When the week began, Vikings brains theorized that a Lawson or Hendrickson addition would be a pairing with Hunter. Now, it appears those men may audition as Hunter’s replacement.
Contractual Posturing?
Graff’s tweet could be Hunter’s agent’s shots fired moment. That is – power moves to illuminate the seriousness of Hunter’s malcontent. It is not a foregone conclusion that Hunter is heading elsewhere. Viking loyalists still have a nasty taste in their mouths from the Diggs exodus – so anything remotely resembling it is cause for grimace.
The appeasement method is to grant Hunter a new contract and call it good. The hesitation, however, is his recovery prognosis. Hunter could come back to the Vikings in 2021 – or a different team – and receive his first All-Pro designation. He was already nominated for the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2019.
Or – he may be a shell of himself. Neck injuries in sports are gruesome. Because of his apparent “demands” or unhappiness, general manager Rick Spielman could examine Hunter’s injury plight, gauge trade value, and ship to a new home. In return, the Vikings would probably receive at-least a 1st-Round draft selection as compensation.
In any event, ESPN’s Ian Rapaport’s October tweet that coyly predicted Hunter’s “last game in a Vikings uniform” is closer to vindication with the Graff news.