What are the pros and cons of the Minnesota Vikings paying top dollar to defensive end Danielle Hunter?
The Minnesota Vikings are facing a potential problem with Danielle Hunter. The stud defensive end is officially out for the season after undergoing surgery on a herniated disc in his neck, which is the latest in a series of blows during a season that has been nothing short of a disaster.
There is no denying Hunter’s ability, which is game-changing. The Vikings struck gold with the former LSU standout who was a third-round steal that has gone on to become one of the NFL’s best at getting after the quarterback.
Hunter signed a five-year, $72 million deal that included $40 million guaranteed, which still has three years left to run. However, given the bumper contracts given to players at the position this offseason, it has made the edge rusher look differently about what exactly he is worth.
According to Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network, the Vikings have to “make Hunter the NFL’s highest-paid defensive lineman or trade him”, which seems like the sort of ultimatum that never normally ends well for the team involved.
This is a situation that Minnesota has to handle carefully. They hold all the cards at the moment but as we saw with wide receiver Stefon Diggs, if a player wants to leave then there is little anyone can do to stop them.
Bowing to Hunter’s reported demands would be a gamble, especially as he hasn’t played a snap this season. Here are two pros and two cons regarding a complex predicament Minnesota might find itself in sooner rather than later.
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.
Hunter’s injury concerns
Hopefully, for the player and the Minnesota Vikings, Danielle Hunter can make a full recovery and return to the form of old. But that is far from a guarantee with an injury of this magnitude.
A herniated disc is one of the more serious injuries an NFL player can suffer. This is a fragile area of the body and given the violent nature of the defensive end spot, all it would take is one big hit for it for something to potentially occur again.
Something a little more substantial than what head coach Mike Zimmer described as a ‘tweak’ during training camp and the early stages of the campaign. Hunter does have time on his side and now has the best part of a year to get himself ready for the 2021 season, but this injury doesn’t exactly scream contract extension and megabucks from the Vikings’ perspective.
When Hunter is at the top of his game, he is well worth the financial investment. However, for the edge rusher to be reportedly demanding a pay rise at this juncture is something the Vikings shouldn’t be willing to do.
If Hunter comes back and is firing on all cylinders at 100 percent, coupled with no lingering damage following rehabilitation, then it might be a different story.
For now, Minnesota who not fold Hunter’s request and see how the situation plays out in the coming months.
Hunter is entering his prime
Although his significant injury has hampered Hunter’s chances of making any sort of a difference in 2020, the player is still just entering his prime. Providing they are no further complications surrounding his herniated disc, there could be even more to come from him after a substantial period of rest.
Hunter turned 26-years-old on Thursday. That is hardly a player who is past the peak of his powers compared to some contract the Minnesota Vikings have given out over the years. There is relatively low mileage on the tires and with his body getting even more recovery time for the remainder of the campaign, he should be completely rejuvenated by the time he’s ready to participate in team drills as expected next spring.
Judging by the rumors circulating in Minnesota circles surrounding a potential rebuild and many veterans such as Anthony Harris reportedly on the trade block before the deadline, it leaves more uncertainty surrounding the direction of the organization going forward.
Which begs the question, why would Hunter even want to sign a new deal?
The defensive end has three years left on his current deal that will pay him $34.95 million in base salary. Compare that to the contract given to Joey Bosa by the Los Angeles Chargers at an average annual salary of $27 million per year, and one doesn’t have to look far for the problem.
Minnesota is entering salary-cap hell
If Danielle Hunter wants more money, then the Minnesota Vikings are the wrong team to ask at this point. Their salary-cap predicament is on a knife-edge and this is only going to get worse next season.
According to Spotrac, the Vikings are already a little more than $5 million over the 2021 cap. This might get even worse if the NFL decides to cut financial resources available due to a lack of gameday revenue coming in this season.
This will mean significant sacrifices need to be made. This is already being felt in Minnesota if their decision to trade Yannick Ngakoue is any indication, and some fan favorites might also be playing for different teams either before the trade deadline or following the season.
It would also indicate that an increase in money for Hunter is simply out of the question. Putting a competitive team out on the field should be their main priority and although their best pass-rusher is a huge part of this, no one individual is more important than the franchise.
Things might get worse before they get better in Minnesota. Significant adjustments need to be made on their bye week if they want to claim any semblance of respectability from the 2020 campaign. But the situation involving Hunter is one that is well worth keeping an eye on.