Report: Broncos, Jaguars possible threats to sign Vikings' Danielle Hunter
The Broncos will be trying to block Danielle Hunter on Sunday night but once the 2023-24 season ends it sounds like they'll be among the teams trying to sign him as a free agent.
Hunter, 29, is due to become a free agent in March. He leads the NFL with 11 sacks and he's going to command a huge contract from whatever team he winds up with in 2024 and beyond. Among the teams expected to show up in the bidding war are Jacksonville and Denver, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"No one has helped their free agency profile more than Hunter, who is tracking for nearly 19 sacks on the season," Fowler wrote Wednesday at ESPN.com. "Hunter will be 29 to start the 2024 season, paving the way for a lucrative three- or four-year deal at well above $20 million per season. Jacksonville has long been a fan of Hunter's game, but Denver also could bolster its pass rush -- the Broncos are typically unafraid to spend in March."
Hunter not only is tied for the NFL lead in sacks, but he also has three forced fumbles and according to Pro Football Focus his 26 QB hurries is tied with Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt for 17th most in the NFL. The league leader is Maxx Crosby of the Raiders with 44.
It's not out of the question that Hunter could return to the Vikings, though it's unclear where he sits on the list of importance when Minnesota still has to sign wide receiver Justin Jefferson and left tackle Christian Darrisaw to long-term extensions. And they might have to fork over big money to Kirk Cousins or Josh Dobbs to play quarterback in 2024 as both are set to become free agents.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.