Vikings' Danielle Hunter Reportedly to Have Season-Ending Surgery on Neck Injury

Danielle Hunter won't take the field for the Minnesota Vikings in 2020.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that Hunter will have season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disc. The Vikings placed the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end on injured reserve with a neck injury in September, and the problem has lingered.

According to Pelissero, Minnesota was hopeful that rest and rehab would be enough to get Hunter healthy and back on the field.

His absence has undoubtedly played a role in the team's 1-5 start. The 25-year-old posted 29 combined sacks across 2018 and 2019 as the Vikings built one of the NFL's best defenses. Now, they're 16th in defensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders.

Rapoport noted that Minnesota's front office faces a dilemma with Hunter.

Hunter is under contract through the 2023 season, but the five-year, $72 million extension he signed in 2018 looks tilted well in Minnesota's favor. His $14.4 million average salary ranks 15th among defensive ends, per Spotrac. Joey Bosa (five years, $135 million) and Myles Garrett (five years, $125 million) reset the market for elite pass-rushers in July.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported in September that "whispers persist" Hunter is unhappy with his contract. Reworking his deal or ripping it up to give him a new one would've been an easier decision before the scope of his neck injury became clear.

As well, Minnesota announced Thursday it has traded Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens.

Ngakoue is due to be a free agent, so perhaps the Vikings dealt him with a view toward giving Hunter a pay raise. The opposite could just as easily be true, though, as general manager Rick Spielman flips assets for draft picks. He shipped star wideout Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills in March for multiple picks.

The Vikings entered 2020 with Super Bowl aspirations. Watching Hunter undergo surgery adds to what is instead a lost season.