The Danielle Hunter trade rumors are on fire

Teal would look really good on Danielle Hunter.

There’s a reasonable possibility the Minnesota Vikings could pull off a trade for the veteran Pro Bowl pass rusher, and it’s highly likely the Jaguars are one of the teams that have shown interest. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Saturday the Vikings have evaluated a number of trade offers for Hunter and that multiple teams sourced say Minnesota has made him available for trade.

This marries with a statement from Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah this past Tuesday when he gave what amounted to a non-answer when asked if Hunter would be a Viking in 2023.

“It’s great to see a great player like that. Great Viking — really excited,” Adofo-Mensah said.

Uh, great.

One of the most talked about topics throughout the offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars beside Calvin Ridley is how the Jags need to bolster their pass rush. With head coach Doug Pederson recently noting that K’Lavon Chaisson was No. 3 on the depth chart (a number that matches his career sack total), fans and many in the local media jumped on the statement to highlight the lack of depth that exists behind Josh Allen and Travon Walker at a position that simply wasn’t good enough last season.

Even with Pederson noting he’s comfortable with where the team is at when it comes to the pass rush, it’s been rumored the Jags are in on a possible trade for Hunter, and their interest about other pass rushers including former Jaguars Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell (the Mayor of Sacksonville of course signed with the Atlanta Falcons, because you know, $$$) has been no secret. Maybe there is something to Hunter recently following the Jags on social media.

With Evan Engram’s recently negotiated three-year contract, Jacksonville is currently at eighth among teams with the most salary cap space, according to overthecap.com. This means they have the money on hand to restructure Hunter’s current contract to meet the kind of numbers he’s been seeking in Minnesota. (Hunter is in the last season of a five-year, $70 million deal.)

Hunter has played his entire career for the Vikings, beginning his rookie season in 2015 — a year where he had six sacks. Although he was injured all of 2020 and part of 2021, he recorded 10.5 sacks in 2022. At age 28, he’s averaged 10.1 sacks per year, including 2021 where he only played seven games.

Needless to say, signing a three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher who is still in his twenties could be the difference in how far the Jaguars go in the playoffs. Of course, there are a lot of sizable contracts to consider heading into 2024, including Josh Allen, Calvin Ridley, and some dude named Trevor Lawrence.

In Trent We Trust.