A History of Danielle Hunter's Contract Drama And What Might Happen Next

Hunter won't be attending the start of the Vikings' offseason program, which isn't a surprise.

Another year, more Danielle Hunter contract drama.

The Vikings' star edge rusher is not expected to attend the start of the team's voluntary offseason program, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Players returned to TCO Performance Center on Monday. Hunter's anticipated absence isn't remotely surprising, as he's set to make up to just $5.5 million in 2023, the final year of his current deal.

Hunter's contract situation has been an interesting one for a while now. After racking up 25.5 sacks in his first three seasons (the first two coming in a rotational role), the 2015 third-round pick signed a five-year, $72 million extension prior to the 2018 campaign — a deal that would keep him in Minnesota through the 2023 season. Hunter then went on to immediately out-produce that contract, breaking out by posting back-to-back 14.5-sack Pro Bowl seasons in '18 and '19. In October 2019, he became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 50 career sacks.

The Vikings restructured Hunter's deal in March 2020, a simple move that converted base salary to signing bonus. Unfortunately, Hunter missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury — infamously described by Mike Zimmer as a "tweak" during training camp — and that complicated things.

In 2021, Hunter began a holdout from offseason activities due to dissatisfaction with his contract. That June, the Vikings resolved the situation by restructuring his contract to give him a $5.6 million signing bonus up front. They also added two void years to Hunter's deal, spreading that bonus across five years, and gave him an $18 million roster bonus that would hit in March 2022. Essentially, they pushed back any sort of long-term decision on his future and created some immediate cap space.

Hunter looked like his dominant pre-injury self to begin the 2021 season, recording six sacks in the first five games of the year. But in Week 8, he tore his pectoral muscle and once again found himself out for the season.

Last spring, there was buzz that the Vikings were considering trading Hunter. Instead, to make room for his new pass rush partner Za'Darius Smith, the Vikings took that $18 million roster bonus, converted it into signing bonus money, and spread it across the two remaining years on his deal and the two void years. That was a move that created cap space and accelerated some of Hunter's 2023 money to 2022. Although it took some time for Hunter to adjust to playing outside linebacker in Ed Donatell's 3-4 scheme after so many years as a 4-3 defensive end under Zimmer, he still finished the year with 10.5 sacks, 70 pressures, and an 86.3 PFF grade, earning his third trip to the Pro Bowl.

Now, with just one year left on the extension he signed five years ago, Hunter is again unhappy with his contract. He has a $13.1 million cap hit in 2023, but because of previous restructures, his base salary is just $4.9 million (and he can earn up to $600K in workout and roster bonuses). Hunter is obviously worth far more than $5.5 million, and he's been underpaid compared to his market value ever since signing that 5/$72M extension back in 2018, even if that deal arguably made sense for him at the time.

So what happens next? 

There's still another $11.2 million in bonus money on the two void years in Hunter's contract, so the Vikings aren't going to release him. That would just accelerate a bunch of dead money onto their cap — and they'd be losing one of their star players for nothing. That's not happening.

The two most likely options here might be an extension or a trade. An extension for Hunter, who turns 29 in October, would create some 2023 cap space and ensure that he's in Minnesota for at least a couple more years, depending on the deal's length. To get that done, they'd have to finally pay Hunter closer to what he's worth, which would presumably be north of $20 million per year. Is that worth it for the Vikings, considering Hunter's age and injury history?

If the two sides can't agree on terms for an extension, a trade could be a possibility. Hunter is a strong trade asset as a proven star who should still have a few years of his prime left, even if his injury history may give teams some pause. Hunter did play all 18 games last season (including playoffs) and didn't appear to be affected by his previous injuries. The Vikings, who have just five picks in this year's draft, could recoup some draft capital by moving Hunter to a team willing to sign him to an extension.

It's a complicated situation for a few reasons. One is that Smith, the Vikings' other star pass rusher, is also unhappy with his contract, to the point where he bid farewell to the team on social media in March. The Vikings could trade either Hunter or Smith, but they probably don't want to lose both, even after signing DE Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal last month. The depth behind that trio consists of players like D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones II.

The Vikings don't necessarily have to extend or trade Hunter. Because he's still under contract for one more season, he would be fined if he doesn't show up to mandatory minicamp in June or training camp in July and August. Players can't really hold out anymore under the current CBA. Then again, the Vikings won't want things to get messy with one of their best players. Both sides will want to figure out a solution that works for everyone involved — and that's probably either an extension or a trade.

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