6 contracts holding the Vikings back right now
By Adam Carlson
Vikings contract No. 5
Danielle Hunter, edge
Last season, Danielle Hunter led the Minnesota Vikings in sacks and it wasn't even close. He more than doubled his closest competition by finishing the season with 16.5 compared to eight for D.J. Wonnum.
The problem is once again that Minnesota kicked the can down the road again with Hunter's contract. He is bound to be a sought-after free agent this offseason but will still be collecting paychecks from the Vikings through 2025.
Paying a player is one thing, but creating IOUs out of their contracts to shift money around can be painful. Whether Hunter plays in Minnesota or not in 2024, he will have a salary cap hit of approximately $15 million and around $7.5 million in 2025.
Make no mistake, Danielle Hunter is an excellent player and there are reasons the Minnesota Vikings did whatever they could to keep him with the team. However, now they must pay for those decisions that were made previously.