Teams calling Vikings about trading for Hunter

Teams around the league have been calling the Minnesota Vikings about trading for edge-rusher Danielle Hunter, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Hunter is likely to be moved before the trade deadline on Oct. 31, Rapoport adds.

The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $20-million deal with Minnesota during the offseason that includes a no-tag clause. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

Minnesota was fielding calls on Hunter in the offseason before the LSU product signed a deal.

Hunter is off to a terrific start this campaign, racking up 32 tackles with a league-leading eight sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

The Vikings are 2-4 heading into their Monday night matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

Vikings, Hunter agree to new 1-year, $20M deal

The Minnesota Vikings and edge rusher Danielle Hunter agreed to terms on a one-year, $20-million contract, sources told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

Hunter’s deal includes $17 million guaranteed and a no-tag clause, Pelissero reports.

The team was reportedly willing to entertain trade offers for the pass-rusher before signing him to the deal. Hunter skipped mandatory minicamp earlier in the offseason, unhappy with his previous contract, which was set to pay him $4.9 million.

Hunter’s new pact ties him with the Buffalo Bills’ Von Miller as the league’s eighth-highest-paid edge defender by average annual value, according to Over the Cap.

The 28-year-old had 10.5 sacks, 12 tackles for less, and 22 QB hits in 2022 en route to a third Pro Bowl selection. Hunter has accumulated 379 total tackles, 71 sacks, 85 tackles for loss, and seven forced fumbles since entering the league as a third-round pick in the 2015 draft.

Vikings fielding trade calls for Hunter

The Minnesota Vikings have received trade calls for three-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Danielle Hunter, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Hunter also generated trade interest in the 2022 offseason, but Minnesota ultimately decided to keep him despite its salary-cap issues. The 28-year-old, who’s appeared in 102 games for the Vikings since being drafted in 2015, has one year left on his contract. He’ll earn a base salary of $4.9 million in 2023, according to Spotrac.

He appeared in just seven games combined in 2020 and 2021 but rebounded in 2022 to finish with a team-high 10.5 sacks and 22 QB hits, tying a career high.

The former third-round pick has racked up 71 career sacks since joining the Vikings, including 14.5 in both 2018 and 2019.

Minnesota addressed its defense this offseason after ranking 28th in points allowed last year. The Vikings hired defensive coordinator Brian Flores and signed multiple defenders, including former first-round defensive end Marcus Davenport.

The team traded pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith – who amassed 10 sacks in 2022 – to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for draft picks in May.

Vikings getting trade calls for Hunter

Teams are inquiring about Minnesota Vikings pass-rusher Danielle Hunter‘s availability, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The Vikings reportedly aren’t actively shopping Hunter, but other clubs believe he’s a trade candidate due to Minnesota’s cap issues.

The NFC North team is currently $15.2 million over the cap ahead of the new league year on March 16, the third-worst mark in the NFL, per Spotrac.

Hunter has an $18-million roster bonus due March 20, adds Fowler.

The 28-year-old played in only seven games this past campaign after tearing his pectoral. He also missed the entire 2020 season due to a neck injury.

However, Hunter was one of the league’s most productive pass-rushers from 2018-19, racking up two straight years with 14.5 sacks.

The Vikings hired Kevin O’Connell as their head coach and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager this offseason, potentially signaling the start of a rebuild for the franchise.

Vikings’ Hunter undergoing season-ending surgery on herniated disc

Minnesota Vikings pass-rusher Danielle Hunter will undergo surgery to clean up a herniated disc, knocking him out for the remainder of the season, sources tell NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Hunter didn’t suit up this season after being placed on the injured reserve in September. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer alluded to the veteran receiving a second opinion earlier in October.

That second opinion resulted in the 25-year-old getting a recommendation to sit out the year, according to Chris Tomasson of St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Hunter has been one of the NFC’s top pass-rushers over the last few seasons, recording 29 sacks since 2018. He’s also notched 67 tackles for a loss since entering the NFL in 2015.

Minnesota may also be facing a major decision with Hunter in the offseason, as Rapoport hints the talented defensive end could be seeking a new deal that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid defender, adding that a trade is possible. Hunter signed a five-year, $72-million extension in 2018 with an average annual salary of $14.4 million.

The Vikings already dealt one pass-rusher, sending Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.

The Vikings are 1-5 and last in the NFC North.

Pro Bowl players against proposed 17-game schedule: ‘It doesn’t make sense’

Several players at the Pro Bowl are speaking out against the 17-game regular-season schedule NFL owners have proposed during collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations.

“When I talk to the guys, I don’t think many people want to do it,” Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell told ESPN’s Jenna Laine and Michael DiRocco. “Really, you talk to guys and I don’t think anybody wants to do it. It’s going to be very, very tough. I know the ownership’s really hard on it.

“We’re definitely talking, trying to figure out what we need to do, how we can make this thing work. It’s going to be a process, but 17 (games), that’s very tough.”

The expansion of the regular season has been one of the greatest sticking points between the NFL and NFL Players Association. Owners have offered players a shorter preseason in exchange for an extra week in the regular season.

“Most of the starters don’t play in that last (preseason) game anyway, so if you take away that one preseason game, you’re not taking away anything for us,” said Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda. “You’re just adding a game. I’m not for the extra game.

“I think the game’s long enough. It’s physical enough, tough enough on people’s bodies to play 16 games and also playoffs, so I’m just not for that. I understand that it’s going to be hard to stop it, but I’m not for increasing the games at all.”

The league and union were reportedly aiming to reach a new agreement by Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, but that timeline doesn’t appear realistic. The existing CBA runs through the 2020 season, after which the NFL could face its second work stoppage in 11 years.

“I don’t have the answers, but I think if the NFL says they care about player safety and tell the parents of kids in youth football how much they care about player safety, then it doesn’t make sense to play football without more rest,” Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper said. “So it’ll be interesting to see if their actions align with their words.”

Hooper added: “I mean, the NFL is coming under a lot of player scrutiny – there’s a lot of former players taking their own lives and having a lot of issues – and their answer now is to play more football and have more traumatic brain injuries. If they care as much as they say they do publicly, I feel that they should add another bye week.”

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter shared similar thoughts.

“I would say they need to give us a longer offseason, shorten down OTAs,” he said. “If they’re gonna do that, make OTAs less weeks – and give us more bye weeks during the season – that would be OK with me. They’ve gotta take something away, because the season just ended for me last week.

“I got 14 weeks until I’m back to football again. The (regular) season is like 16 weeks (plus a bye), plus the preseason – that’s 21 weeks. And then you come back in the offseason for OTAs – that’s another three months – so 14 weeks is not enough.”

The 2020 Pro Bowl takes place Sunday, seven days before Super Bowl LIV caps the 2019 campaign.