The Vikings fire sale has just added another piece to the auction: sitting alongside Dalvin Cook is star pass-rusher Danielle Hunter.
The Minnesota Vikings already have Kirk Cousins’ and Dalvin Cook’s future to deal with. Well, add one more to the list.
On Wednesday, NFL’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Vikings have been fielding calls regarding the possibility of trading for edge-rusher Danielle Hunter.
Hunter, who is entering the final year of his contract, carries an $11 million cap hit for 2024 and could be an intriguing addition for teams in need of immediate defensive help. The Vikings’ fire sale started as early as March when the team started releasing cap casualties like Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen, and there’s still rampant speculation that Dalvin Cook will be traded by the offseason’s end.
After trading Za’Darius Smith to the Browns, could the Vikings really let go of another star pass-rusher?
The 28-year-old Hunter racked up 10.5 sacks in 2022 and hasn’t yet agreed to an extension with the Vikings with the hold-up likely being on Minnesota’s side.
Vikings DE Danielle Hunter emerges as trade candidate
With Cousins’ future with the franchise blurrier than ever and with Justin Jefferson patiently waiting for his own extension, the Vikings have difficult decisions to make in these coming months.
Cousins may have been playing hardball with the franchise to secure a more lucrative deal, but the Vikings are content with letting him sweat it out for at least the 2023 season. After that, Cousins will still have a roughly $28 million cap hit in 2024 even if released from the roster, according to Spotrac.
This offseason thus becomes “The Offseason of Cutting Dead Weight” for the Vikings. Hunter’s open-ended situation may indicate that the Vikings don’t consider him part of the franchise’s long-term plans and may want to sell high on Hunter and perhaps recoup some picks.
The longer the summer drags on, the more Vikings players get placed on the trade block. These are stark and harrowing times for Minnesota.