Danielle Hunter, Vikings excited to put contract squabble behind them

Danielle Hunter was asked Monday if he wants to finish his career in Minnesota. This came roughly 24 hours and one practice after the star edge rusher ended his contract impasse with the team by agreeing to only a one-year deal that prevents the Vikings from placing the franchise tag on him next spring.

"I want to be a Viking forever," Hunter said without hesitation at the end of a four-minute interview following his first practice since the end of the 2022 season.

Whether Hunter is a Viking for life very much remains to be seen. But, for now and through this season, the Vikings are, well, "excited," a word coach Kevin O'Connell and new defensive coordinator Brian Flores used four times apiece in a span of less than four minutes after Monday's walk-through.

"We are a better football team with Danielle Hunter," O'Connell said, "and I'm really excited about that."

When Flores had exhausted his use of the word "excited," he smiled and added, "No one's upset about it."

Hunter, of course, was upset about the deal he signed in 2018 and had tweaked twice before it finally was abandoned in favor of a one-year, $20 million deal with $17 million guaranteed. Asked how he feels about the team now, Hunter said, "I love this organization.

"I've always been an advocate for these guys. I'm just happy to be back. Happy to get back on the field with my teammates. I just want to play football."

He also did a nifty sidestep when asked if he had ever wanted to be traded as he was skipping all the offseason training and the mandatory minicamp in June. The Vikings fielded trade offers but ultimately decided the 28-year-old's pass-rushing skills meant far too much to a 2023 squad that's young and inexperienced at cornerback.

"I wasn't really focused on [a trade]," he said. "I just wanted to come back here, be with my teammates and play ball. I'm happy we got over that hump."

Hunter came to camp in typical prime condition.

"This is my first offseason in like three years that I wasn't rehabbing [an injury]," he said. "So I was able to focus and train on what I needed to focus on and get my body right. I think it was a plus that I was out in Arizona and did two-a-days for about four weeks. It was like 115 [degrees] out there, so it was a good offseason."

O'Connell, however, is still taking it slow with Hunter, easing him back with a two-week ramp-up period focused on having Hunter ready to cut loose for joint practices with the Titans and Cardinals in August.

Hunter did only individual work early in Monday's practice.

"They don't want me to rush back and have something bad happen," Hunter said. "So I'm just going to follow their lead."

Marcus Davenport, the team's other starting outside linebacker, said Hunter's return will help him realize his potential after signing a one-year, $13 million deal to come here from New Orleans.

"Working off each other is going to boost us both," he said. "Especially me. I'll take it."

Hunter still is learning Flores' 3-4 defense, but already likes what he is hearing and seeing when it comes to the more aggressive blitz packages compared to the passive 3-4 scheme under Ed Donatell a year ago.

"When you get to blitz, you got guys all over the field doing a bunch of different things," Hunter said. "I feel like it's a plus for us for guys to being doing different things and moving all over."

Hunter had a team-high 10½ sacks last year, but never appeared totally comfortable in a scheme that had him drop into coverage a career-high 34 times, according to Pro Football Focus.

Asked for his thoughts on having Hunter drop and cover, Flores said, "I kind of like him going forward more than backwards, personally.

"There are some instances where he may have to drop. If he's getting doubled and he drops, there are instances where we can use that to our advantage. But I like a lot of things he does moving forward."

Moving forward is what Hunter and the Vikings finally can do now that yet another contract squabble is out of the way.

"The big thing is I'm here now for my teammates, my coaches, the organization," Hunter said. "They need me to be myself this year and that's what I'm going to do."