Vikings DE Danielle Hunter undergoing season-ending surgery

Thursday was a rough day for the pass rush of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Soon after the Vikings confirmed the trade of defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero (h/t Kevin Patra) reported that Minnesota DE Danielle Hunter is undergoing season-ending surgery to clean up a herniated disc in his neck. 

The 25-year-old hadn't yet debuted this season because of the issue. It was originally hoped that he could play at some point during the fall, but the 1-5 Vikings now know they'll be without the edge rusher until 2021.

Hunter will join four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr on injured reserve. 

Hunter was named to back-to-back Pro Bowl squads and tallied 14.5 sacks in each of the past two years. While he is signed through the 2023 campaign, Rapoport explained that he could look to re-work that deal or request a trade to a contender before next season. 

Today's events combined with Minnesota's record suggest the team is beginning what could be a painful rebuild ahead of Halloween. With quarterback Kirk Cousins signed through 2022, it seems as if it will be a matter of when, not if, the Vikings shop him to any bidder willing to accept the 32-year-old and the remainder of his contract.