4 pros and cons of the Minnesota Vikings paying Danielle Hunter
By Dean Jones
Hunter’s production with the Vikings
It didn’t take long for Danielle Hunter to become an indispensable member of the Minnesota Vikings. The third-round selection showed flashes of brilliant on his way to 6.5 sacks and things have gotten better ever since.
Hunter quickly went from an exciting raw prospect to one of the most feared pass-rushers in the league. He has 14.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons and the player has been sorely missed on a Vikings defensive front that is already without the services of Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen, who both left the organization in free agency.
The decision to trade Yannick Ngakoue has only increased Hunter’s importance to the franchise once he is healthy enough to return. This is probably why he is looking for money that is more in-keeping with his high level of production and few would deny his play on the field isn’t worthy of such a commitment.
Giving into Hunter’s demands would be a big move from the Vikings and it would certainly make others on the roster sit up and take notice. This is a team that has undergone some incredible difficulties this season after wholesale changes across their roster, which might see more prominent veterans moved on before the 2020 trade deadline.
They’ll want to keep Hunter happy, but it’s a tricky spot to be in. The edge rusher has already accumulated 54.5 sacks, 67 tackles for loss, and 80 quarterback hits over his five-year career, which would be immensely hard to replace.