The Minnesota Vikings could be clinching their pocketbooks tightly if they extend Kirk Cousins this offseason — and that could lead to Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter leaving.
According to a February 10 ESPN report, the Vikings have put their contract talks “on hold” with Hunter until the team decides whether to re-sign Cousins or let the veteran quarterback walk in free agency.
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon predicted that if the Vikings choose to extend Cousins, Hunter is likely to walk in free agency. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Chicago Bears are “very high” on Hunter along with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There’s also an even worse outcome at play: the NFC North champion Detroit Lions signing Hunter for $67 million and allowing him to terrorize the Vikings for the next three seasons.
From Bleacher Report:
Presuming the Vikings keep Cousins, their cap crunch might result in Danielle Hunter leaving on the open market.
Worse yet, he might not travel far.
Hunter has notched 10-plus sacks in five of his eight seasons and tallied a career-best 16.5 in 2023. His value, quite literally, has never been higher. While it’s bad (self-inflicted) financial timing for Minnesota, the NFC North-rival Detroit Lions are lurking with a major pass-rushing need.
Losing him to anyone would pain the Vikings, but watching him leave for a division foe would only add to the sting.
Vikings Can Re-Sign Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter — But There’s a Cost
Hunter and Cousins are two of the Vikings’ highest-paid players who are approaching their decline but still have a few good years ahead. There are strong cases to be made for signing both players and which one to re-sign will be a key talking point for the next month.
But there is also a scenario where the Vikings can keep both — and save money.
Re-signing the duo makes sense for 2024. Cousins has $28.5 million in dead cap that will count against the 2024 cap sheet if he walks, while Hunter has $14.9 million in potential dead cap if he does not re-sign, according to Over the Cap.
That’s $43.4 million to be paid whether they’re on the roster or not.
If they are re-signed, those bonuses can be used in their new contracts and their cap hits can be lowered by pushing those earnings onto future years of the contract. It makes sense to put that money to use and extend both players.
However, there is the cost of the Vikings hurting their financial future given the structure of those extensions would lead to the same crossroads the organization is at this offseason.
Vikings Cannot Miss in the Draft if They Go All-in On
If the Vikings roster was still at its peak coming off a 2018 NFC Championship Game appearance, it would be a no-brainer to re-sign Hunter and Cousins and run it back.
However, years of poor drafting and salary cap constraints have led to the roster’s atrophy. There are needs at cornerback, edge rusher and both the offensive and defensive lines.
The Vikings don’t have cap space to secure difference-making veterans at every position even if they went all-in — extending Hunter, Cousins and Justin Jefferson and pushing as much cash as they can onto future years.
Depth also remains an issue. The Vikings are a couple of strong draft classes away from being back in contention.
They could re-sign Cousins and Hunter and keep their competitive window open, but they’d need to hit for the cycle, and then some, in the draft the next two years to truly capitalize taking the competitive route with Cousins and Hunter.
But what’s more likely, is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah strikes the same competitive rebuild philosophy for the 2024 season, which could mean choosing between Hunter or Cousins.
