EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have given outside linebacker Danielle Hunter a hefty pay raise, paving the way for the team's best pass rusher to participate in practice after a months-long contract stalemate.
The club announced Sunday on its website that a new deal had been reached with Hunter, the three-time Pro Bowl pick with 71 sacks. Hunter's previous contract called for a $4.9 million base salary but according to NFL Network, he'll make $17 million guaranteed this year with an opportunity to earn an additional $3 million in incentives.
Hunter will still hit the free agent market after the season with the potential for an even larger payday unless he and the team strike a deal on an extension in the meantime.
The presence of the athletic edge rusher will be vital for a Vikings defense that has been one of the NFL's worst over the past three years. They allowed the second-most yards and the fourth-most points in the league in 2022, despite decent production by their primary edge rushers. Hunter had 10 1/2 sacks, Za'Darius Smith had 10 sacks and backups D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones had four sacks apiece.
Smith has since been traded to Cleveland in a cost-cutting move, leaving Hunter as the only proven pass rusher on the roster. Marcus Davenport was signed as a free agent to push for a starting spot, but quarterback pressure remains one of the biggest questions surrounding the team this season.
“I think Danielle’s a phenomenal player,” said defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who was hired to replace the fired Ed Donatell. “I look forward to working with him.”
Under Donatell, Hunter often found himself as a standup rusher. The Vikings with Flores are aiming to get back to turning Hunter loose with his hand in the ground more often.
“Veteran players, they’ve seen a lot of defense, coverages, fronts, stunts. I think terminology will probably be the one thing that’s a little bit different, maybe, but some of it, there’s some crossover from some things he’s heard in the past so I don’t think it’ll take long for him to get up to speed," Flores said. “At the end of the day, we’re telling him to go get the quarterback. There’s really not much to that. So I think he’ll be just fine.”
There has never been a question about Hunter's athletic ability, but his history of injuries is extensive, leaving the Vikings - and likely other teams as well - with questions about the wisdom of signing him to a long-term contract.
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