Report: Danielle Hunter Agrees to Restructured Contract
2 min read
And there was much rejoicing.
Early on Monday, it was reported that Danielle Hunter was going to attend Vikings mini-camp this week.
And now we know why Hunter isn’t holding out for a new deal—it’s because he has a new deal.
From Ian Rapoport:
Danielle Hunter gets $5.6M of this year’s $$ due as a signing bonus, source said. More importantly, there is now an $18M roster bonus the 5th day of the league year in 2022 — creating a decision for MIN. He’ll either make $20M or so next year, be released or have a new deal. https://t.co/qLJQbfms9G
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 14, 2021
I don’t know about you, but for some reason I heard “Beautiful Day” by U2 when I first read that tweet. And you didn’t hear the song, chances are you heard a loud collective sigh of relief from any fellow Vikings fan in your life.
While another NFC North team that shall remain nameless is still dealing with all sorts of uncertainty surrounding their star player, the Vikings have answered their biggest question still looming over the team heading into mandatory mini-camp.
Hunter didn’t have a ton of leverage heading into the offseason with so many years remaining on his deal and having missed all of 2020 with a neck injury, but his existing contract was borderline larceny the instant he signed it. If he can get back to the form he was in before the injury in 2021, the $18 million roster bonus for 2022 certainly isn’t that outlandish.
Once again, salary cap savant Rob Brzezinski and the Vikings front office have pulled the necessary strings to retain a homegrown star player. Hunter is an integral part of the Vikings defense that suffered tremendously in his absence last year. As Rapoport alluded to, it’s a win-win for the player and team, and the fans by proxy.
So much for your typical “case of the Mondays,” eh Vikings fans?
