Report: Jaguars Have 'All Sorts of Interest in Danielle Hunter'

Could the Jaguars be looking to land a big fish on the trade market?

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a massive move at last year's trade deadline, sending conditional picks to the Atlanta Falcons to land a No. 1 wide receiver in Calvin Ridley. 

Could they do it again? 

The logical move for the Jaguars would be to look to add to their pass-rush rotation. Dots continued to be connected in this vein, with long-time Minnesota reporter Darren Wolfson saying on the Skor North podcast that the Jaguars have shown interest in Pro Bowl pass-rusher Danielle Hunter.

"I know this. Jacksonville has all sorts of interest in Danielle Hunter. What are they willing to offer? Can you complete that trade?" Wolfson said. 

The Vikings are sitting at 1-4 and just lost Justin Jefferson to a hamstring injury for at least a month, which means they could be sellers on the Oct. 31 trade deadline. Wolfson also noted that the Jaguars showed interest in Hunter during the offseason as well, when the former LSU pass-rusher was angling for a new contract.

"In this moment, I just don't sense anything is on the cusp," Wolfson said about the Vikings going into seller mode. 

"So let's see how this Bears game plays out. Let's see how the 49ers game plays out. Then that week heading into October 31st, I think that is when it could get very interesting."

Hunter is tied for second in the NFL in sacks with 6.0. Hunter is No. 25 in pressures (17) and No. 63 in pass-rush win rate among all EDGE rushers with at least 50 rushes, per PFF.

Hunter, who turns 29 later this month, is a three-time Pro Bowler and has 77 career sacks, including 10.5 in 2022.

The Jaguars are tied for 26th in sacks, with six belonging to Josh Allen, two to Travon Walker, and one to K'Lavon Chaisson. The Jaguars have had two games this year where they have recorded zero sacks. 

“The sack is the stat you want to get, but at the end of the day as a coach, you really look at how you affected the quarterback," Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said on Thursday. "Was he comfortable back there or was he moving around and uncomfortable? That’s one of the things and you can tell by completion percentage sometimes, just the feel of the game and I think we’re making guys uncomfortable. We just got to do a little extra and get that sack.”

Complicating matters could be the fact that the Jaguars are set to add two players to the defensive line rotation in the coming weeks with returning defenders Dawuane Smoot and DaVon Hamilton, each of whom is still waiting to make their 2023 debut.

"That’s not my area. We’ll talk about it as a staff, but right now, we’re comfortable with the guys we have and we’re getting the guys back that can play a major role in the growth of this team last year and going forward," Caldwell said when asked if Smoot and Hamilton have enough time to show something by the deadline. 

"We’re excited to get our guys back and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

The Jaguars have 10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft and are also projected to earn three compensatory picks.