Predicting where each of the top-30 NFL free agents will sign
By Nick Villano
11. Danielle Hunter
Previous Team: Minnesota Vikings
Future Team: Las Vegas Raiders
For the first time on this list, we are predicting a trade. We think the Minnesota Vikings are going to use the franchise tag on Danielle Hunter after his career year. He had 16.5 sacks for a Vikings defense that was surprisingly very good. After injuries to Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins, the Vikings' defense kept them in the playoff race. The rise of Hunter was a big reason why.
They won’t want to lose this asset for nothing. We’re sure the Vikings would love to keep Hunter, who has been in Minnesota for eight seasons. It’s not like this is an outlier season. Hunter has had 14.5 sacks twice before this season.
However, the Vikings won’t want to deal with this contract with so much to question surrounding this roster. Jefferson will need an extension sooner rather than later, and it’s going to be very expensive. They have nothing going at quarterback, as their situation is likely the worst in the league. They need money to use on all this, and they only have around $20 million to spend this offseason. Hunter would take up every penny of that and possibly more.
So, this is where the Raiders and their $31 million in space comes in (which turns into $44 million if they cut Jimmy Garoppolo). Hunter is a pass rusher who could give the Raiders an insane one-two punch with Maxx Crosby. This is a great locker room right now, and adding Hunter makes this defense as scary as it's been since the Tuck Rule game.