The Minnesota Vikings and the defensive end have agreed to a contract extension that will keep him signed until the 2024 season.
Heading into the current offseason, the Minnesota Vikings had four talented, young players that were all scheduled to become free-agents in 2019. These players included linebacker Anthony Barr, defensive end Danielle Hunter, linebacker Eric Kendricks, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
The Vikings have already made sure Kendricks will not be hitting free agency next year after signing him to an extension last April. Now, it appears that another player from this group will be sticking around past the 2018 season.
On Wednesday, Minnesota announced that they had agreed on a contract extension with Hunter. The deal will reportedly keep the 23-year-old defensive end signed until 2024 and will pay him up to $72 million.
Minnesota Vikings
The full breakdown of Hunter’s new contract has not yet been revealed, but it reportedly features $40 million in guarantees (likely not fully guaranteed) and a $15 million signing bonus.
Hunter’s average salary will now be around $14.5 million per year. But based on how the Vikings typically construct their contracts, most of this money won’t really affect the team’s salary cap until the final few years of the deal.
If Hunter were to hit free agency in 2019, he probably could have signed a deal somewhere else for more money than what Minnesota is now giving him.
However, the talented defensive end clearly likes playing for the Vikings and wanted to make sure he stuck around with the team for the next portion of his career.
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In three years with Minnesota, Hunter has a total of 25.5 sacks in 46 appearances. A number that will now continue to increase past the 2018 season with him in a Vikings uniform.