More bad news for the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings as star defensive end Danielle Hunter reportedly needs surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Hunter requires surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. The operation will keep him out for the entire 2020 season, leaving his future with the Vikings in doubt.
Rapoport tweeted: “MIN has a decision this offseason: Make Hunter the highest-paid defender in football or trade him. Have we seen the last of him in a Vikings uniform.”
According to Over The Cap, Hunter is signed through the 2023 season and is due to carry a $17.75 million cap hit in 2021 and 2022, and a $14.75 million cap hit in 2023. Being that Hunter is signed long term, it’s unclear why Rapoport thinks the Vikings have a big decision to make this offseason.
Hunter hasn’t played this season due to the neck injury. Earlier Thursday, the Vikings traded defensive end Yannick Ngakoue – whom they traded for to replace Hunter as an edge rusher – to the Baltimore Ravens for a third-round pick in 2021 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2022, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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