17 October 2023
Danielle Hunter doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon.
The 28-year-old pass rusher is currently tied for the NFL lead with 8.0 sacks, proving to be a menace for the Vikings off the edge like he has been his whole career.
If Hunter (79.0 career sacks) gets to the quarterback again, which seems like a forgone conclusion at this point, he will jump ahead of former fan favorite Everson Griffen (79.5 sacks) on the Vikings’ career sacks list.
The most impressive part about Hunter’s dominance this season is the fact that he has been able to do it while his name has constantly been attached to trade rumors.
Would the Vikings actually be willing to move Hunter? That remains to be seen with the Oct. 31 trade deadline slowly coming into focus.
In the meantime, Hunter did his part over the weekend to quiet down the noise, posting a pair of sacks as the Vikings earned a 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears. He also had a quarterback pressure that directly led to veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks intercepting a pass.
“I feel pretty good about the way our defense played,” Hunter said. “We came together as a unit and went out there and capitalized on our opportunities.”
After a brief hold-in at the start of training camp, Hunter signed a 1-year, $17 million deal to keep him in Minnesota for this season. It’s safe to say the Vikings have been happy with the decision to keep him around.
“It’s been critical to have him back,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We’re very, very fortunate that we have him in there.”
To say Hunter has been instrumental for new defensive coordinator Brian Flores would be putting it lightly. After the Vikings seemed to be allergic to blitzing last season under former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, Flores has sent pressure with regularity in almost every game this season.
The success has largely hinged on Hunter as he’s the only pass rusher who has been able to win his 1-on-1 matchups with any sort of consistency. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine what the Vikings would look like on defense without Hunter in the mix.
“That man is a dog,” teammate and fellow pass rusher D.J. Wonnum said. “He’s also a great leader. Since I’ve stepped foot in the practice facility, he’s always been that mentor for me and all the young guys. Just having him is a great thing.”
How much longer will Hunter be around?
If the Vikings can score an upset over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, there’s a good chance they keep operating at status quo. If the Vikings get rolled by the 49ers, however, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would have to think long and hard about trading the best player on the defense.
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