Report: Danielle Hunter, Vikings Agree to 1-Year, $20M Contract After Trade Rumors

After taking calls about a potential trade involving Danielle Hunter, the Minnesota Vikings have reversed course by giving the three-time Pro Bowler a new contract.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, the 28-year-old has agreed to a one-year, $20 million extension with the Vikings with $17 million guaranteed.

Rapoport reported on June 7 that teams were making calls to the Vikings about the defensive end:

Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did a lot of work early in the offseason to clean up the team's cap sheet for the 2023 season.

Key veterans Eric Kendricks, Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen were released. Kirk Cousins restructured his deal, though it's still set to expire after the upcoming season. Za'Darius Smith was traded to the Cleveland Browns in May.

This could have been an indication the Vikings were looking at a potential soft rebuild. They also have to get money available for a potential Justin Jefferson extension that Adofo-Mensah called a "high priority" during the NFL Scouting Combine.

Hunter's long-term outlook in Minnesota was very much uncertain. He was entering the final season of his previous deal signed in June 2018 that was only going to pay him a $4.9 million base salary in 2023.

If the Vikings had moved on from the LSU product, their defense would have a case as the worst unit in the NFL for the upcoming season. They were in that discussion last season before losing Hunter, Kendricks and Patrick Peterson.

While Hunter alone won't solve all the problems on Minnesota's defense, he does give the team stability up front that it desperately needs. He led the team with 10.5 sacks and ranked second with 22 quarterback hits in 2022 after playing a total of seven games in 2020 and 2021 combined due to neck and pectoral injuries.

Since entering the NFL in 2015, he has 85 tackles for loss and 71 sacks in 102 career games. He's still in his prime and proved last season he can make a difference after missing significant time the previous two years.