Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter raised some eyebrows in Duval when eagle-eyed social media users noticed Tuesday that the three-time Pro Bowler recently started following the Jacksonville Jaguars on Instagram. The Vikings and Jaguars appear to be the only teams followed by Hunter.
Hunter, 28, has been the subject of trade fodder for much of the offseason as he enters the last season of the five-year, $72 million extension he signed in 2018. The pass rusher skipped mandatory mini-camp earlier in the offseason and could miss more practice time in training camp.
Could the Jaguars actually pull off a deal for Hunter, though? In a word: yes.
Jacksonville did a lot of financial maneuvering in the offseason, restructuring the deals of Brandon Scherff, Christian Kirk, and Foye Oluokun, among others, to clear space. Even after securing deals for Evan Engram and Dawuane Smoot in July, the Jaguars still have about $18 million in cap space for the 2023 season. That’s more than enough to absorb the $5.5 million due to Hunter along with plenty of room for a new deal, as well.
The Jaguars aren’t lacking for draft capital either as they currently have nine picks in the 2024 NFL draft. While one of those selections — a second-, third-, or fourth-rounder — will go to the Atlanta Falcons for Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville is projected to get two or three compensatory picks for Jawaan Taylor, Arden Key, and possibly Marvin Jones Jr.
All of that makes the Jaguars a perfect candidate to make a big trade. And Jacksonville’s lackluster sack numbers make Hunter a logical fit.
Hunter is a 6’5, 263-pound wrecker off the edge, who is no slouch against the run either. While the Jaguars have high expectations for Travon Walker and hope for better production from Josh Allen, the team was still 26th in the NFL in sacks last year. Hunter, who has 71 sacks in seven seasons, could provide a massive boost at outside linebacker.
Does his list of follows on Instagram indicate a deal is coming soon? No it doesn’t. Any contact between Hunter and the Jaguars would be tampering, unless the Vikings gave the pass rusher permission to seek a trade.
But with more than a month between now and Week 1, and more than three months until the trade deadline, don’t be surprised if the Jaguars make another big move as they aim for a deep postseason run. Hunter would fit the bill.
