The Jacksonville Jaguars are keeping a close eye on Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter who could be available via trade, according to a report from Darren Wolfson of KSTP in Minneapolis.
“I know this, Jacksonville has all sorts of interest in Danielle Hunter,” Wolfson said Thursday on a radio show. “What are they willing to offer? Can you complete that trade?”
The Jaguars were rumored to be interested in Hunter over the summer, but talks of a potential trade vanished when the Vikings reworked the pass rusher’s contract in July. Minnesota turned the $4.9 million base salary left on the last year of Hunter’s deal into essentially a one-year, $17 million deal with $3 million in incentives.
But with the Vikings now 1-4 and without All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson due to an injury, it suddenly makes sense for Minnesota to sell off assets. Hunter, who is an expensive player already headed for free agency in 2024, is about as perfect a trade asset as the Vikings could hope to dangle on the market.
Hunter, 28, is a three-time Pro Bowler in his eighth season with the Vikings who has 77 career sacks. He’s currently tied with Josh Allen, among others, for the second most sacks in the 2023 season with six.
Any deal that sends Hunter elsewhere will likely come with a sizable contract extension shortly thereafter. The challenge for the Jaguars would be fitting such a deal into their future plans, which presumably include a record-breaking deal for quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the 2024 offseason.
The team’s 2022 trade for Calvin Ridley may also present challenges. The complicated structure of that deal means the Jaguars’ second-, third-, and fourth-round selections in the next NFL draft are currently tied up and any one of those picks could belong to the Atlanta Falcons.
Jacksonville is currently 26th in the NFL in sacks this season with nine. Allen has six, Travon Walker has two, and K’Lavon Chaisson has one.
