NFL Rumors: Vikings top free agent heading to division rival would be epic nightmare

Losing to a division rival sucks. Losing one of your best players to a division rival? That's cruel, and it could possibly happen to the Minnesota Vikings.

According to reports by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, star pass rusher Danielle Hunter is being heavily pursued by the Chicago Bears, who just happen to be in the same division as the Vikings. This would be painful for Minnesota.

Keep in mind that by adding Hunter, Chicago would now have two elite edge threats to compete in the NFC North. The other being Montez Sweat, whom Chicago acquired last season by swapping a second round pick with the Commanders in exchange for Sweat's services. Sweat produced immediately, with 6.5 sacks.

On the other side, Hunter, in his career, holds four Pro Bowl nods and recorded double-digit sacks in five of his years with the Vikings, including the previous two. This past year, Hunter finished fifth in the NFL in sacks with 16.5 sacks, not bad.

Chicago Bears adding Danielle Hunter would alleviate their needs and worries ahead of the NFL Draft

Right now, the Bears have far too many holes to correct, even with the improvements they made last season. There is still too much to be done. Using free agency to help build the roster can alleviate the issues, especially if the free agents fit a needed position, in this case, pass rusher.

With two top-10 picks, the Bears are in prime position to grab two potential impact players for their team next season and beyond. Plus, if Chicago trades back from any of those spots, they can acquire more assets to acquire more impact players. It's a game outside of the game, and the Bears need all the chips they can get to fill themselves up better.

Adding a divisional rival to your roster is always intriguing, but Chicago had better hope this is different than when they signed Jared Allen and that ultimately backfired. Hunter doesn't seem to be in that mold, but Chicago should take caution just in case. If it works out, the Bears are in good shape, if not, well, they will be right back where they started.