How a Strong 2022 May Impact Danielle Hunter’s Contract

6 Big Storylines for Lions at Vikings
Dec 8, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports.

Currently, Danielle Hunter carries a relatively small $12.34 million cap hit into the 2022 season.

Average folks would likely be thrilled to have a “small” salary that comes in over $12 million – with myself at the front of the list – but keep the context in mind. Elite NFL edge rushers can make close to or more than twice as much money. Hunter, then, looks like a bargain within the context of just this season.

Now, the important caveat is that Danielle Hunter has only played in seven games these past two seasons, so the smaller cap hit makes sense. His pre-injury production had him at consecutive 14.5-sack seasons. He’ll hopefully reclaim those abilities as he partners with Za’Darius Smith, the former EDGE for the Packers.

If Hunter is both healthy and as productive as we anticipate, what will that do to his future contract? The answer, of course, is that it should skyrocket. Next season, he’s scheduled to come with a $13.12 million hit. He’ll enter free agency in 2024 unless there’s a new deal. T.J. Watt, Joey Bosa, and Myles Garrett are all averaging $25 million or more on their deals. Von Miller, Maxx Crosby, and Khalil Mack are all coming in at $20 million or more.

Unless Hunter exceeds his previous production, it’ll be hard to envision him getting a long-term contract that comes with similarly gaudy numbers. Even if he plays a full 17 games – and hopefully several more in the postseason – he’ll still come with some injury risk. Is there a balance Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can come to?

Perhaps the most important decision Adofo-Mensah has made so far rests in the Kirk Cousins extension. The GM tied his team to the QB1 for a couple more years of guaranteed money. The critical difference, of course, is that Cousins almost never gets hurt. Hunter brings no such assurances.

One wonders, then, if the team would look to keep the edge rusher in town for just one more season. Tacking on another year to his deal would keep him in purple for 2023 and 2024. Attaching huge money to these years is still tricky, and yet there isn’t a long-term commitment that might create issues if there was an injury. A couple more years at around $20 million would make sense.

From Hunter’s perspective, he could have another shot at a sizable contract when he still has some strong years ahead. In a few more years, he’ll be 31. During the offseason, the Bills gave the 33-year-old Von Miller a six-year, $120 million deal, so there’s some precedent for paying older pass rushers.

Vikings fans ought to hope that Danielle Hunter demands a larger cap hit heading into 2023. If that occurs, it’ll be because he stayed healthy and was very productive. It’s a good problem when a team needs to reward a player for being elite.



[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1021019″ player=”26281″ title=”WATCH%203%20ideal%20landing%20spots%20for%20Deion%20Jones” duration=”84″ description=”In his first year in the NFL, Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones became a household name. A second-round pick out of LSU in 2016, Jones finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after leading the NFL in interception yards and defensive touchdowns, while racking up 108 tackles.” uploaddate=”2022-05-27″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/1021003/1021003.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]

Share: