Creates cap space beyond 2021
If the Vikings end up receiving a trade offer they like and they decide to send Danielle Hunter packing, the move would create a little over $5 million in cap space this year.
That doesn’t seem like a lot, but the amount of cap space Minnesota would clear in 2022 and 2023 could make trading Hunter hard for the Vikings to pass up.
In 2022, not having the talented pass rusher on the roster would create almost $18 million in extra spending money, and in 2023, they would have almost $15 million less on the books.
This money would come in handy when players like Brian O’Neill, Justin Jefferson, Eric Kendricks, and others begin having discussions with Minnesota about a new contract.
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So despite a trade involving Hunter not creating very much cap space for the Vikings this year, the amount of future cap space the team would have after his departure could be something that helps convince them to accept a deal for the defensive end this year.