Vikings 'feel great' about two-time Pro Bowl DE Danielle Hunter

The Minnesota Vikings have re-worked the contract for two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter on multiple occasions over the past 12 months, first to prevent him from possibly holding out last summer, and more recently to acquire star pass-rusher Za'Darius Smith in free agency.

As Chris Tomasson explained for the Pioneer Press, the latest restructure cleared $13.5 million of cap room and, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, left Hunter on a contract that carries a $4.9 million base salary for the 2023 season. Even though Hunter has appeared in only seven contests over the past two campaigns and missed the final 10 games of this past season due to a torn pectoral muscle that left him needing surgery, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said signing the 27-year-old to a new extension is something that's on the table. 

"We feel great where we are with Danielle," Adofo-Mensah said. "Obviously, that roster bonus was a call to come to the table and get in conversation, dialogue, and we had great conversation with Danielle, his representation Zeke (Sandhu), all members of this organization, and I can say we’re all in a great place. (Hunter) called me from vacation (in Europe) the other day. . . You can hear the urgency, the motivation in his voice to kind of resume where he is as one of the elite players in this league, and we’re excited to have back." 

Hunter earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods for 2018 and 2019 when he recorded 14.5 sacks in both of those seasons. However, he missed the entire subsequent campaign because of neck surgery but tallied six sacks in his seven games in 2021.