Danielle Hunter to sign with Houston Texans

He’s officially gone

The two biggest names that were hitting free agency for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason were quarterback Kirk Cousins and edge defender Danielle Hunter. As of just minutes ago, neither of them will be returning to Minnesota.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network is reporting that Hunter has agreed to a two-year, $49 million deal with the Houston Texans, meaning that the two teams have essentially swapped Jonathan Greenard for Danielle Hunter. Greenard agreed to terms with the Vikings shortly after the start of the legal tampering period on Monday.

Hunter has been with the Vikings since the team drafted him out of LSU in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent nine seasons with the Vikings, missing all of the 2020 season with a neck injury and most of 2021 with a torn pectoral. Over the past two years, however, he showed that he was back to form with 27 sacks over, including a career-high 16.5 this past season.

During his time in Minnesota, Hunter was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and was named a Second-Team All-Pro in 2018. He collected 87.5 career sacks during his time in purple.

Contract issues have been a part of the team’s relationship with Hunter for several years, and he signed a one-year extension during this past offseason that included a clause that said the Vikings could not use the franchise tag on him. That meant that Hunter would be set to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, and he’s taking that opportunity to move south.

We’ll continue to track the moves that the Vikings are making in free agency, and when something happens we’ll bring it to you as soon as we’re able.