After nine years with the Minnesota Vikings, Danielle Hunter is currently in the middle of his first offseason as a member of the Houston Texans. Hunter seems to be adjusting well to his new team, as he's already taken on the role of mentor for some of the young Texans players.
In particular, ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime recently shared that the former Vikings draft pick has been passing along his knowledge to Houston pass rusher Will Anderson Jr., who is coming off of a 2023 season in which he was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans recently revealed the following about the strong relationship that the team's new top pass-rushing duo has already built during the last few weeks.
"I like the connection that they have had, they are working well together, and it is great to see both of them collapse in the pocket and finishing on the quarterback."
Former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter "feels great" to be with the Houston Texans
In addition to the large amount of money the team threw at him, returning to a place where he grew up made it very easy to convince Hunter to sign with Houston this offseason.
The multi-time Pro Bowler recently shared the excitement he has about getting to play in front of his family more as a member of the Texans.
"It feels great. Being able to come back down here and play in front of my family friends. Been up there in the cold for a long time, but I'm back down here to the humidity, and I'm excited about that. It brings back a lot of memories growing up playing football. So, I'm really excited about that."
Hunter is coming off of a 2023 season in Minnesota in which he finished with 41 pressures, 23 tackles for a loss, and 16.5 sacks. It doesn't seem like he's slowing down anytime soon, and given the fact that he's still not even 30-years-old yet, he could potentially have another five seasons of high-level production in him.
For 2024, Hunter will be looking to help a Houston team surpass the success they had last season when they surprised a bunch of people by making it all the way to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
With his arrival, and the additions of a number of other notable players to their roster this year (including former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs), many believe Houston definitely has the potential to be a much better team in 2024 than they were a season ago.