JUST-IN: Vikings star set for shocking trade, amid deadline interested
Daniel Hunter has missed most of the past three seasons due to injury, and his contract has been frequently discussed during that time. But the Vikings’ nine-year wing had a poor contract year.
Hunter’s eight sacks lead the NFL through six games.
The Vikings are 2-4 and have their best player on IR.
Justin Jefferson is not a trade initiator and Kirk Cousins is not expected to waive his no-trade clause.
Teams are monitoring Hunter’s situation, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who added that the veteran running back would be a big hit on the market if he becomes available.
Minnesota discussed trading Hunter in the offseason, and it was surprising that they did so because his final contract talks created uncertainty.
However, the two sides came together and agreed on another deal.
It was a one-year, $17 million deal that gave the Pro Bowler a one-year deal.
The new deal is nearly three months away, but Fowler added that the Vikings are not shopping Hunter.
The defending NFC North champions aren’t throwing in the towel this season and are taking non-Cousins trade chips off the table for now.
In order for the Vikings to make Hunter available, an executive suggested (via Fowler) that they might need a first-round pick to pry him away from the Twin Cities.
Hunter also leads the NFL with 11 tackles for loss.
After being sidelined for all but seven games in 2020-21 due to neck and chest injuries, Hunter returned to the Pro Bowl last season with 10.5 sacks.
Hunter is the youngest player to reach 50 career sacks and turns 29 later this month.
He is poised to create a strong free agent market in 2024.
According to Fowler, the Jaguars appeared to be a locked-in team on Hunter during the preseason, but have seen Josh Allen show consistency in his contract year.
Jacksonville has Allen and the no.
1 of 2022 on Trayvon Walker.
However, Walker has yet to play a draft slot.
And 2020 first-rounder K’LaVon Chasen wasn’t up to it either.
Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman mentioned the Jags as a logical trade destination for the player they drafted in the third round in 2015 in an article on The33rdteam.com.
For the Vikings, they traded 2022 Hunter reliever Za’Darius Smith for Marcus Davenport in free agency.
Minnesota signed Davenport to a one-year, $13 million deal and traded Smith to Cleveland.
Davenport is currently on IR, and Kevin O’Connell said (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com) that surgery remains a possibility as the former Saints first-rounder rehabs his ankle. With Davenport out for at least four games, the Vikings will move Hunter and take over the pass rush.
Hunter is coming off his fifth double-digit sack season.
In the official sack era (1982-present), only Hall of Famers John Randle and Chris Doleman have completed as many 10-sack seasons as Hunter for the Vikings.
The Vikings made a steal in 2020 by sending Yannick Ngakue to the Crows despite acquiring him from the Jaguars that summer.
The Ravens traded third- and fifth-round picks to the Vikes for Ngakoue.
At the time, Vikings were between 1 and 5 years old.
Hunter’s base salary is set at $10 million, which may not be prohibitive for the team given the plans he is pursuing.
The team that acquires Hunter will have the option to sign him in 2024.
As the Rams’ 2021 pickup Von Miller shows, a standout flyer can make a big difference in a Super Bowl push.
The Vikings have no real safeties beyond 2023, and both Hunter and Davenport are free agents, so the position will be sorely needed in 2024 regardless of where Hunter calls home in November.
Minnesota has long had defensive back Harrison Smith locked in a salary cap deal, making his future in Minnesota uncertain beyond 2023. The Vikes will be one of the more interesting teams at the trade deadline, but so far they haven’t really committed.
