Danielle Hunter - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Hunter, Ertz, Godwin, Lee, Packers

September 19th, 2020 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

When Danielle Hunter signed his Vikings extension in the summer of 2018 — a five-year, $72MM pact — most viewed it as a team-friendly agreement. With Khalil Mack soon raising the edge rusher price ceiling to $23.5MM per year, Hunter’s contract quickly became a bargain for the Vikings. On average, Hunter’s $14.4MM-per-year price now ranks 17th among edge defenders. Zero-time Pro Bowlers like Dante Fowler and Arik Armstead signed for more than Hunter makes this offseason. Perhaps unsurprisingly, whispers have emerged that the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end is unhappy with his contract, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (Insider link). Hunter has three 12-plus-sack seasons and has recorded 14.5 in each of the past two. While Fowler expects the Vikings to address the issue at some point, they have him under team control through 2023. The 25-year-old defensive end is currently on Minnesota’s IR list.

Here is the latest from the NFC, shifting first to another contract issue:

Zach Ertz‘s Eagles situation certainly became one to monitor, with the Pro Bowl tight end voicing his frustrations about his future with the franchise and reportedly engaging in a heated discussion with GM Howie Roseman. The changing tight end marketplace, as could be expected, has impacted Ertz’s extension discussions. The deals the 49ers and Chiefs respectively gave George Kittle and Travis Kelce complicated the Eagles’ Ertz talks, forcing them to stall, Fowler adds. Ertz is under contract through 2021, but his $8.5MM-per-year deal is now well out of step with the top of the market. Kelce and Kittle recently signed for more than $14MM annually.
Sean Lee‘s latest injury moved him to the Cowboys‘ IR list, and he may be there for a while. Teams can move players from IR back to active rosters after three weeks this season, but the sports hernia surgery the injury-prone linebacker underwent is expected to shelve him for at least six weeks, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes. The Cowboys are down Lee and Leighton Vander Esch, after what turned out to be a rough opening week for the team. Vander Esch, whom Lee replaced in a three-down role alongside Jaylon Smith late last season, is expected to miss more than six weeks as well. Joe Thomas is set to team with Smith as a three-down player against the Falcons.
The Buccaneers have downgraded Chris Godwin from doubtful to out for their Week 2 game against the Panthers. Godwin developed concussion-like symptoms midweek and remains in the team’s protocol.
A groin injury Kenny Clark suffered in Week 1 will sideline him for the Packers‘ Week 2 tilt against the Lions. Clark left last week’s game, leaving Green Bay without its top defensive lineman for the time being.

Vikings Place Danielle Hunter On IR

September 9th, 2020 at 4:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have placed defensive end Danielle Hunter on injured reserve, per a club announcement. To take his place on the roster, they’ve promoted kicker Chase McLaughlin from the practice squad.

Thanks to the league’s modified IR rules for 2020, Hunter will only be required to sit out for three weeks before returning. It’s not clear if he’ll be ready to go by mid-October, however. All we know for now is that he’ll be out for Sunday’s opener against the Packers, plus the next two games against the Colts and Titans.

Hunter has been limited and out of practice with a rumored neck injury since August 16th. Fortunately, new addition Yannick Ngakoue is there to help keep the pressure on. He’ll be paired with Ifeadi Odenigbo, who will fill-in as the other starting bookend in Hunter’s absence.

The Vikings have four more years of club-friendly control over Hunter, thanks to the five-year, $72MM deal extension he inked in 2018. Now entering his age-26 season, Hunter has 54.5 career sacks to his credit.

This Date In Transactions History: Vikings Lock Up Danielle Hunter

June 27th, 2020 at 1:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Two years ago today, Danielle Hunter inked a five-year deal worth $72MM. It was a serious pay bump for the former third-round pick, who was still a few months away from his 24th birthday. The add-on gave him ample security – a $15MM signing bonus, $40MM in overall guarantees, and favorable cashflow with $48MM over the first three years. Still, the deal proved to be a win for the Vikings.

The Vikings didn’t want to let Hunter get anywhere near the open market. In his first three pro seasons, Hunter registered 25.5 sacks, more than any other player who entered the league in 2015. He waited a while to hear his name called on draft weekend, but he outperformed Vic Beasley, Leonard Williams, and other notable edge rushers in that class by a longshot. Also, Hunter and teammate Everson Griffen combined for 57 combined sacks from 2015-17, the second most of any duo in the NFL in that span.

In 2017, just prior to the extension, Hunter graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 29 ranked edge defender in the NFL. Last year, Hunter finished seventh in the category, ahead of Cameron Jordan, Myles Garrett, Demarcus Lawrence, and a host of other big names. He’s notched 14.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons, bringing his career tally to 54.5.

Meanwhile, his $14.4MM average annual value ranks 18th among edge rushers, according to Over The Cap. The Vikings have four more years of control over Hunter and, at this time, he stands as one of the league’s best veteran values.

Vikings DE Danielle Hunter Reworks Contract

March 21st, 2020 at 10:37am CST by Ben Levine

10:38am: The Vikings converted $8MM of Hunter’s $10.9MM salary into a signing bonus, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin (via Twitter). The pass-rushers $14.5MM cap hit has been reduced to $9MM.

8:33am: Danielle Hunter has reworked his contract. The NFL’s transactions page listed the defensive end as having “signed, renegotiated contract,” per Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com.

It’s unclear how Hunter’s contract has changed. Tomasson notes that $10.4MM of Hunter’s $10.9MM 2020 base salary was set to become fully-guaranteed on Friday. The Vikings have been scrambling around for some extra cap space, and restructuring contracts is one natural solution.

The 2015 third-round pick has emerged into one of the NFL’s top pass rushers, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods during his five years with Minnesota. That includes a 2019 campaign where Hunter compiled 70 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and 14.5 sacks – the second-straight season that he’s finished with that many sacks.

The Vikings’ cap problems may have played a role in their breakup with Everson Griffen. Yesterday, the player’s agent said they’ve “broken off talks with Minnesota because they have to spend their money elsewhere.”

Details On Danielle Hunter’s Extension

July 4th, 2018 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Continuing their recent run of defensive fortification, the Vikings agreed to a five-year, $72MM deal with Danielle Hunter. He’s now the second-highest-paid player on Minnesota’s defense, coming in behind only Xavier Rhodes.

Locked up through 2023, Hunter will earn $37.9MM across the first three years of this contract, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. That’s down from a previously reported $48MM figure. This season won’t feature a substantial hit to the Vikings’ payroll, with Krammer noting Hunter’s 2018 cap number will come in at just $5MM. After this season, the eight-figure hits start coming.

The 23-year-old defensive end will count $13MM toward Minnesota’s 2019 cap and $14MM in 2020. In 2021 and ’22, Hunter’s deal will represent $15MM of the Vikes’ payroll. Of course, the cap can be expected to reside north of $200MM by then, so these numbers — on a deal that can be classified as Vikings-friendly — may not look especially imposing once the next decade begins.

Incentives also appear in this contract but don’t comprise too much of it. Krammer adds that Hunter’s re-up contains $6MM in incentives across its five-year span. There are also $2.5MM in total per-game roster bonuses and $500K in workout bonuses housed in this agreement, per Krammer.

The Vikings now have Hunter, Rhodes, Everson Griffen, Eric Kendricks, Linval Joseph and Harrison Smith signed long-term. This sextet is all locked in through at least the 2021 season. While an extension for Anthony Barr is being discussed, the Vikings already have a substantial portion of their defensive core under team control for the foreseeable future.

Reactions To Danielle Hunter’s Extension

June 27th, 2018 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, the Vikings and Danielle Hunter agreed to a five-year, $72MM extension. The new deal, which will keep Hunter in place through 2023, is said to include $40MM in guarantees, giving the 23-year-old plenty of financial security. Still, many are wondering whether Hunter should have waited in order to get more out of the Vikings.

Here’s a look at some of the reactions to Hunter’s brand new deal:

The deal is a team-friendly “steal” for the Vikings, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (via Twitter links) opines. Hunter, he feels, could have targeted Olivier Vernon‘s five-year, $85MM deal had he notched about ten sacks this year and entered the free agent market in ’19. Hunter’s deal gives him nearly as much as teammate Everson Griffen, but Hunter is significantly younger and is on his way to being equally productive. At minimum, Fitzgerald feels that Hunter would have been better served by waiting for the market to reset at $20MM/year when Khalil Mack and others sign their next deals.
Hunter didn’t top Vernon, but Cowboys star DeMarcus Lawrence should blow right past him, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. As Corry notes, Lawrence and Vernon are both represented agent by David Canter.
With Hunter locked up, Vikings GM Rick Spielman indicated that wide receiver Stefon Diggs and linebacker Anthony Barr may be next up for extensions (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin). “We want to keep all of our guys and we’ll try to see if there’s a way that we can do that because not only, those guys are very important to us and would love to get them locked up as well,” the GM said.

Vikings, Danielle Hunter Agree To Extension

June 27th, 2018 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have agreed to terms on a contract extension with pass rusher Danielle Hunter, sources tell Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a five-year deal worth $72MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The deal includes $40MM in guarantees, Rapoport hears, though it’s not immediately clear whether that represents the contract’s full guarantee at signing. Hunter’s deal includes a $15MM signing bonus, so his full guarantee is worth no less than that amount.

Hunter will earn $48MM over the first three years of his deal, Rapoport tweets. He can also earn another $6MM in incentives, which could push the maximum value of the deal to $78M.

Hunter’s new deal gives him a $14.4MM average annual value, which gives him just a bit less than that of teammate Everson Griffen. Last summer, Griffin inked a four-year, $58MM extension with $18.8MM fully guaranteed at signing. That pact gave Griffen an AAV of $14.5MM.

The Vikings have been aggressive in locking up their core players, but there’s still more work to be done in that area. They’ll have to address linebacker Anthony Barr‘s contract, since he is set for free agency after he plays out his fifth-year option this year. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is also slated to hit the open market when his rookie deal expires at the end of the 2018 season.

Hunter, a third-round pick in 2015, has registered 25.5 sacks in three NFL seasons. That stat ranks first among all players who entered the league in 2015, which is to say that he has outperformed Vic Beasley, Leonard Williams, and other notables who were taken ahead of him. In that span, Hunter and Griffen have combined for 57 combined sacks, the second most of any duo in the league from 2015-17. Only Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap of the Bengals (58) have had more over that stretch.

Hunter, who graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 29 ranked edge defender in the NFL last year, may have been able to earn even more on the open market next year. However, the 23-year-old (24 in October) has opted for security over upside. It’s hard to find fault with Hunter playing it safe here, however, given the aggressive cash flow he has secured in the early part of the contract.

The Vikings now have most of their most important players locked up through at least 2020. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook, wide receiver Adam Thielen, offensive tackle Riley Reiff, center Pat Elflein, linebacker Erik Kendricks, safety Harrison Smith, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, Griffen, and Hunter are all under contract for the next three seasons or more.

Hunter is represented by agent Zeke Sandhu, who will turn his attention to extension talks for Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. next.

Vikings Looking To Extend Barr, Diggs, Hunter

May 20th, 2018 at 6:31pm CST by Micah Powell

Despite spending heavily on Kirk Cousins this offseason, the Vikings are still intent on trying to keep their core of young players together. This includes Anthony Barr, Stefon Diggs and Danielle Hunter, who the team hopes to extend according to Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Though they hope to get the deals done, the Vikings know that will be a tough task. General manager Rick Spielman said, “We’re still going to try. Is it going to be easy? No.”

Diggs and Hunter are some of the best bargains in the business at the moment, both costing just $1.9MM against the cap in 2018. The Vikings picked up Barr’s fifth-year option in 2017 and he is set to cost $12.3MM in the upcoming season. All three deals are set to expire after the 2018 season.

Scoggins adds that Spielman and team executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski have been planning for this for three years, which led them to signing Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph to extensions despite them having additional years remaining.

Though it might be difficult to keep everyone around, if they are able to crunch the numbers they won’t have any pushback from ownership. Spielman said they have never heard “no” from the Wilfs on a potential deal.

It would be difficult to see the Vikings parting with Diggs, who just authored arguably the most famous play in team history when his touchdown grab vs. New Orleans as time expired sent Minnesota to the NFC Championship game.

2018 Proven Performance Escalators

January 31st, 2018 at 10:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.

If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.908MM in 2018. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2018 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:

49ers: Trent Brown, T; Eli Harold, LB

Bears: Adrian Amos, S

Bengals: Tyler Kroft, TE; Josh Shaw, DB

Bills: John Miller, G

Broncos: Max Garcia, G; Trevor Siemian, QB

Browns: Duke Johnson, RB

Buccaneers: Kwon Alexander, LB

Cardinals: David Johnson, RB; J.J. Nelson, WR

Chargers: Kyle Emanuel, LB

Chiefs: Chris Conley, WR; Steven Nelson, CB

Colts: Henry Anderson, DE; Mark Glowinski, G; Denzelle Good, OL

Dolphins: Bobby McCain, CB

Eagles: Jay Ajayi, RB; Jordan Hicks, LB

Falcons: Grady Jarrett, DT

Jaguars: A.J. Cann, OL

Lions: Quandre Diggs, CB

Packers: Jake Ryan, LB

Panthers: Daryl Williams, T

Patriots: Trey Flowers, DE; Shaq Mason, G

Raiders: Clive Walford, TE

Rams: Jamon Brown, G

Ravens: Za’Darius Smith, LB

Redskins: T.J. Clemmings, OL; Jamison Crowder, WR

Saints: Tyeler Davison, DT

Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, WR

Steelers: Jesse James, TE

Vikings: Stefon Diggs, WR; Danielle Hunter, DE

OverTheCap.com was essential in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings Sign Entire Draft Class

May 7th, 2015 at 5:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Well, that was pretty easy for the Vikings. While most teams tend to sign their draft choices in drips and drabs, the Vikings announced that they have signed their entire 2015 draft class. Those ten rookies are:

Round 1, CB Trae Waynes
Round 2: LB Eric Kendricks
Round 3: DE Danielle Hunter
Round 4: OL T.J. Clemmings
Round 5: TE Mycol Pruitt
Round 5: WR Stefon Diggs
Round 6: OL Tyrus Thompson
Round 6: DL B.J. Dubose
Round 7: OL Austin Shepherd
Round 7: LB Edmond Robinson

The signing of Waynes was leaked out earlier today by Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. The eleventh player selected in the 2015 draft, Waynes will earn nearly $13MM over the life of his rookie contract, and will have the opportunity to make several extra million in 2019 if Minnesota exercises his fifth-year option. Because he just missed the cutoff to be a top-10 pick, Waynes’ fifth year won’t be as pricey as it otherwise would’ve — those amounts aren’t known yet, but for 2016 options, the difference in salaries between a top-10 cornerback and a corner picked between 11th and 32nd exceeded $3.5MM.

Kendricks was last season’s Butkus Award winner, giving him the crown of best collegiate linebacker in the country. Kendricks’ brother, Mychal, plays for the Eagles and father Marvin Kendricks, played running back at UCLA and enjoyed a stint in the CFL.

With ten UDFAs also in the fold, the Vikings’ roster is now at 90 players, according to the press release.