Opting to move on from edge rusher Danielle Hunter was a major whiff. Not too many appear to agree, though.

In the spring of 2024, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah overhauled the Minnesota Vikings defense. The focus of the additions came within the front seven, made evident in the moves for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, and linebacker Blake Cashman. Brian Flores extracted huge value out of these players.

Others got tossed into the mix — defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, edge rusher Jihad Ward, corner Shaq Griffin, corner Stephon Gilmore, and others — but those front seven fellas stand out. The issue is that bringing these guys to town came at the cost of Mr. Hunter, one of the great Vikings of all time. In particular, the Greenard add appeared to be the final move in the Hunter goodbye.

Minnesota is now moving ahead with Dallas Turner occupying a top edge rusher spot. He’ll partner with Van Ginkel to create a new gruesome twosome. Continuing to employ Hunter may have been the better bet both for these past two seasons alongside the seasons that are yet to come.

The Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Whiff on Danielle Hunter Decision

In a lot of ways, it’s time to stop excavating the Adofo-Mensah days for more insights and arguments. After all, there’s a new sheriff in town: Nolan Teasley. Time to move on.

But while there’s a ton of merit in that idea, the basic reality is that Minnesota’s roster is still feeling the effects of the former decision maker (both good and bad). Teasley is coming out of a Seattle team that was led by Sam Darnold, the veteran passer who was allowed slip away. Seattle found the ultimate form of success in football, winning it all after signing the QB. The Vikings, meanwhile, didn’t do particularly well.

An overlooked component of the decision making of recent years was the move to move on from Danielle Hunter. Saying goodbye to a player like Danielle Hunter means searching for a player exactly like Danielle Hunter. So far, that player hasn’t yet been acquired.

Check out the side-by-side stat comparison of Hunter and Greenard over these past two years.

Danielle Hunter

• 2024: 46 Tackles, 12 Sacks, 23 QB Hits, 17 TFLs, 1 FF, 3 PDs (Pro Bowl).
• 2025: 54 Tackles, 15 Sacks, 22 QB Hits, 15 TLFs, 3 FFs, 3 PDs (AP2).

Jonathan Greenard

• 2024: 59 Tackles, 12 Sacks, 22 QB Hits, 18 TFLs, 4 FFs, 3 PDs (Pro Bowl).
• 2025: 38 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 12 QB Hits, 10 TFLs, 1 FF, 3 PDs.

Another detail to note is that Mr. Hunter has demanded quite a bit more money (OTC). At least initially, the trade off involved the Vikings rolling with Greenard for a four-year deal sitting at $76 million. Meanwhile, Hunter signed a contract for two years and a total of $49 million. On a basic level, Minnesota chose a less accomplished but younger player for $19 million per season instead of the $24 million per year for Hunter.

Since then, Greenard has moved on from Minnesota due to a desire for a raise, traded to the Eagles for a pair of 3rds. Hunter has seen his deal adjusted, as well. Per OTC, Hunter averages a hair above $40 million per year while Greenard sits at $30 million. The financial chasm isn’t meaningless, folks, even as the per year average can be a deceptive way of understanding the cap cost.

Consider, as well, that PFF has put Hunter at 12th and 5th in the edge rusher grading these past two years. Greenard has finished off at 16th and 31st in those same rankings. In at least a basic sense, those rankings reflect the view contained here: Greenard is very good, but Hunter is elite.

Moving off of an elite talent at a premium position is almost always a bad move.

In theory, the Vikings could have rolled with a pass rusher twosome consisting of Andrew Van Ginkel alongside Danielle Hunter. Doing so would have involved boasting a cyborg of a pass rusher who can do essentially anything (Van Ginkel) alongside a true terror of a pass rusher (Hunter). Matching up with those two would be near impossible.

Employing Dallas Turner means rallying around somebody whom the Vikings hope will become like Hunter. Essentially, a long-and-strong pass rusher who turns all-world talent into being an all-world player. Seeing him become somebody who mirrors Mr. Hunter will mean that Minnesota is in fine shape, but the ascent is a difficult one.

At 31, the 6’5″ and 265-pound pass rusher hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. Danielle Hunter is working alongside Will Anderson down in Houston as one part of the NFL’s top edge rusher duo.