Danielle Hunter’s name came up in trade chatter more than once over the last few months, but the Vikings didn’t move the edge rusher and they reaped many benefits from keeping him in the fold last month.
Hunter had 18 tackles, five sacks, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and a pass defensed while helping the Vikings to a 4-1 record in October. Hunter also had five sacks in September and he leads the NFL in that category heading into Week Nine.
The NFL announced that Hunter’s exploits in October made him the league’s choice as the NFC defensive player of the month.
While Hunter was not traded, his time in Minnesota may still be running out. Hunter signed a new one-year deal with the Vikings ahead of the start of the regular season and it includes a clause barring the Vikings from using the franchise tag on a player who is putting together a very strong contract year.
