DE Danielle Hunter reportedly plans to skip Vikings' mandatory minicamp
MINNEAPOLIS -- Defensive end Danielle Hunter is reportedly skipping the Minnesota Vikings' mandatory minicamp due to discontent with his contract.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Hunter's plan to miss minicamp Monday morning.
Three-time Pro Bowl DE Danielle Hunter plans to skip the #Vikings’ mandatory minicamp, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 12, 2023
The sides haven’t seen eye-to-eye on a new contract. @RapSheet reported Minnesota has received trade calls, and now one of the NFL’s top pass rushers is officially a holdout. pic.twitter.com/GedTiRbIKt
Hunter is entering the final year of a five-year, $72 million deal he signed in 2018. His base salary for 2023 is just $4.9 million. The Vikings would incur a nearly $19 million in dead cap by cutting him, so their options -- assuming his dissatisfaction is serious -- are to give him a new contract or trade him.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last week that the Vikings have received a lot of interest from other teams in the 28-year-old Hunter, who reached 50 sacks faster than any player in history early in his career but has been sidelined and slowed by injuries over the past few seasons.
It's unlikely he earns a new contract -- while he's still a productive player, notching double-digit sacks in three of the past four seasons, the Vikings this offseason have shown a willingness to part with their veterans to save cash for the future, having released running back Dalvin Cook and linebacker Eric Kendricks and let cornerback Patrick Peterson and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson leave in free agency.
Earlier this offseason, they traded the other half of their pass rushing duo, Za'Darius Smith, to the Cleveland Browns. They also signed defensive end Marcus Davenport, formerly of the New Orleans Saints.
The Vikings' minicamp runs Tuesday and Wednesday.