Ever since he entered the league, Minnesota Viking edge rusher Danielle Hunter has been one of the most overlooked players at his position. When he's been healthy, Hunter's been super reliable. Averaging 10 sacks, and 12 TFL (tackles for loss) a season, while only having under double-digit sacks twice in his career. The question is, should the Seattle Seahawks trade for him?
Consistent production at a premium position in the NFL should turn into premium pay, which was exactly what Hunter got after the end of his rookie contract. Coming off of a career year with which he finished with 14.5 sacks, he'd end up signing a 5 year, $72,000,000 deal to remain in Minnesota. Fast-forward to today with only one year remaining on that deal, Hunter and the Vikings seem to be far apart on a further extension.
Minnesota's been retooling their roster as of late. Letting long-time veterans walk such as Eric Kendricks, Dalvin Cook, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Adam Thielen. The team seems to be making cap space for a looming extension with superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and a potential extension for veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Seattle Seahawks could use another pass rusher of Danielle Hunter's ilk
With recent reports from ESPN's Kevin Seifert indicating that Hunter plans to skip mandatory minicamp this week, a trade looks likely for both sides. The Seahawks may be potential suitors for Hunter for a multitude of reasons, but there's also good reasoning for why they shouldn't pursue the 28-year-old edge rusher. It comes down to three essential parts.
Do the Seahawks need Danielle Hunter?
Danielle Hunter is a clear fit with the Seahawks. He's a true power rusher, which is the type of edge rushers Pete Carroll always seems to love, dating back to the Legion of Boom days with Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett. Also, when the Vikings fired former head coach Mike Zimmer and brought in Kevin O'Connell, they changed from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 front, despite the change Hunter still racked up double-digit sacks regardless, with 10 and a half. This is good news because it's a similar role to what defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt would potentially want to do with him as well.
However, general manager John Schneider selected edge rushers (Boye Mafe and Derick Hall) in back-to-back years both within the first 40 picks of the draft. Schneider's clearly invested heavily into this group and it's hard to see him departing with even more draft capital when he hasn't seen the full potential of both Mafe and Hall yet. Especially with the emergence and contract situation of Nwosu, who recorded a career-high in sacks this past season with 10.
A move for Hunter would be an intriguing move for Seattle, but it's not an immediate need by any means. The team has plenty of young talent and depth at the position. However, if Schneider could work out a reasonable offer, the move could make the Seahawks true contenders in a weaker-than-usual NFC.
Can the Seahawks afford Danielle Hunter?
In the short term, the answer is probably not. Although restructures and other salary cap manipulations are always an option, Seattle has their own carousel of potential contract extensions after the 2023 season, in the edge group specifically. A move for Hunter would leave Seattle having to re-sign not only him, but also their most productive edge rusher from 2022, Uchenna Nwosu, in the same year. Not to mention, contracts from key contributors like Jordyn Brooks, Noah Fant, and Bobby Wagner are all set to expire next off-season.
What would a Danielle Hunter to the Seahawks trade look like?
Trade value can be a tricky thing in the NFL. There is no true scale to evaluate the value of one player to another. However, given recent trades and traits that most teams value such as: age, talent, injury history, and contract value. Based on this, the general value for Hunter should be a 2nd round pick or multiple mid-round picks.
Teams probably won't want to give up too much pick compensation for him because of the big price tag they'll have to pay for him. His age (28), along with his pec injury in 2021 - that sidelined him for 10 games - could also be contributing factors. Although, teams clamoring for pass-rush help could bump up the price quite a bit.