Category: Trade Deadline

Danielle Hunter trade would take ‘sizable deal’ to complete

Minnesota Vikings OLB Danielle Hunter is a hot commodity with the trade deadline approaching, but it will take a sizable deal to acquire him

The National Football League trade deadline is 11 days away and Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Danielle Hunter continues to be the talk of the league.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke to multiple individuals around the league and the sense is that it would take a “sizable deal to pry him” from the Vikings.

But three-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Danielle Hunter is a player that several execs are watching closely. If available, he would have a big market. A few teams pointed out to me that his reworked one-year bridge deal at $17-million carries $10 million in base salary, modest for a player of his caliber and flexible for trade purposes.

Here’s my understanding on Minnesota and Hunter: The Vikings gauged trade interest in the offseason when they didn’t have a new deal, as a contingency if they couldn’t re-sign him. Lately, they have not been exploring a trade for Hunter, despite some external interest. And there’s a sentiment in the building that Hunter, who leads the league in sacks, is valuable for a team that isn’t out of it yet.

So, the sense is it would take a sizable deal to pry him. One league exec who’s very high on Hunter said he’s not in position to give up a first-rounder for him, suggesting that might be what it would require.

Fowler also mentioned that Hunter was a player that the Jaguars targeted in the preseason. They also have been linked to Hunter multiple times over the last couple of weeks.

The Vikings trading him would be an admission that they either don’t want to re-sign him or they don’t believe they will be able to after modifying his contract multiple years in a row.

It would also be an admission that they don’t believe the season is going anywhere. Nobody could fault them after a disastrous start at 2-4 that could end up being worse by the trade deadline.

Buckle up, these rumors aren’t going to be slowing down.

PFF sends Danielle Hunter to AFC South

Analysts continue to link Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Danielle Hunter to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Here’s a fun fact for all you football fans: The 2023 NFL trade deadline is October 31st at 3 p.m. central.

What could be spookier than that? For Minnesota Vikings fans, the possibility of losing Danielle Hunter to a playoff contender is just that.

Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger listed ten trades that NFL teams should make ahead of the trade deadline. Spielberger has Hunter being traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for, what feels like underwhelming trade compensation.

The Jaguars take on the remainder of Hunter’s one-year contract for a 2024 fourth-round pick (currently 118), along with a third- and fourth-round pick in 2025.

The acquired contract here is actually a bit more expensive, given Hunter has incentives tied to sacks. He already has eight on the season, but that won’t make an impact until after the 2023 season…Hunter was one of just three players in 2022 to rack up at least 60 quarterback pressures and 40 defensive stops, adding 12 sacks and an 86.3 overall grade. So far in 2023, Hunter has 21 quarterback pressures and eight sacks, though a good bit of that production has come on clean-up work as opposed to consistently winning pass-rush snaps early on. Nevertheless, he’s a very talented all-around player who turns only 29 years old two days before the trade deadline.

Spielberger also explains why it benefits Jacksonville to have a pass-rusher like Hunter for their last season before paying Trevor Lawrence.

For the Minnesota side of things, they are ripping it down to the studs if Hunter is out. This pass rush does nothing without Hunter, who is tied with 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt for the league lead in sacks. This defense relies on getting to the quarterback early and often. Without Hunter, that makes life more difficult for Flores and his staff.

This organization takes a lot of pride in their team. Tanking a season, especially one where they haven’t necessarily played horribly doesn’t seem to be in their DNA. So, until I see it, I can’t believe a Hunter trade is on the horizon.

Especially not for that compensation. Hunter is probably reaching the latter years of his prime, but he’s still in his prime. You don’t give up a prime pass-rusher for a late day-two and two day-three picks.

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ESPN believes Vikings should trade Cousins and focus on future

Dan Graziano of ESPN believes the Vikings should trade Kirk Cousins and focus on the future

Dan Graziano, senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, judged the biggest overreactions from week five of the NFL season on Monday afternoon.

One of his overreactions was that the Minnesota Vikings need to “seriously consider trading Kirk Cousins and planning for the future.” To Graziano, this is not an overreaction.

He outlined a few reasons why Minnesota should be all-in on the idea of trading Cousins and looking toward the future of the quarterback position.

WATCH: Vikings defenders react to Lewis Cine’s interception

After missing last season due to an injury, Lewis Cine is back on the field and making plays during training camp.

After seeing his rookie season end prematurely, safety Lewis Cine is back on the football field.

Cine is currently participating in training camp for the Minnesota Vikings and, after just a few plays, has already impacted the defense.

Cine intercepted a pass during Saturday’s session, and the celebration from the defense prompted a celebration from the players on the sideline. The celebration was later posted on the team’s social media page.

Cine suffered a compound fracture on his tibia and fibula during the Vikings’ week 4 contest against the New Orleans Saints in London. The injury placed him on injured reserve, ending his season prematurely.

Before his injury, Cine was mostly used on special teams, playing two defensive snaps in his three games.

Given the nature of his injury, it’s a positive sign that Cine’s interception showcased that his explosiveness hasn’t disappeared.

A first-round selection during the 2022 NFL Draft, Cine was the first player drafted by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell.

WATCH Jalen Reagor make a leaping grab after a double move

Fighting for a roster spot, wide receiver Jalen Reagor made his name heard during Vikings training camp with a leaping grab.

As the Minnesota Vikings wrap up the second day of their training camp, multiple players have already made impressive plays during various sessions.

Rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison opened training camp with a diving catch, showing off the skills that made him the team’s first-round selection. K.J. Osborn followed up Addison’s grab by finding a hole in the defense before hauling in a pass between three defenders.

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Jalen Reagor decided to make an impressive catch during the team’s second day.

During a 7-on-7 session, Reagor ran a double move before finding a soft spot in the zone defense. Reagor then showed good tracking skills to hunt the pass from Kirk Cousins before making a leaping grab.

Reagor, who the Vikings acquired last season via trade, played just 7% of the team’s offensive snaps last season. Now, the 24-year-old finds himself on the bubble as camp begins. Impressive grabs during 7-on-7 sessions won’t guarantee a roster spot, but it could help make a difference as preseason begins.

If Reagor wants to find himself a spot on the Vikings roster, he’ll have to continue to make these plays and may need to find a role on special teams to add extra value.

T.J. Hockenson excited for first time to “win some games”

The Vikings introduced their newest acquisition to the media on Wednesday

The Minnesota Vikings introduced new tight end T.J. Hockenson during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon and you can tell he was excited to go to a winning team.

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for the fourth-year veteran, as the 2022 Vikings have won as many games as the Lions have won in any of his three-plus seasons with the team.

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There were some other interesting nuggets to come out of the press conference, including confirmation that Hockenson will be wearing number 87 for the Vikings. He wore number 88 with the Lions but Alan Page’s number was retired by the team.

Hockenson was also excited to be back in the Midwest, as he grew up in Iowa, calling this the true Midwest.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell is also excited to bring in Hockenson, seeing some real opportunities for Hockenson, including in the red zone.

The Vikings weren’t specific about how much Hockenson would play on Sunday, but he should be up to full speed come week 10 against the Buffalo Bills.

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What are the Vikings are getting in T.J. Hockenson w/Lions Wire

We spoke to Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire about the Vikings new tight end

The Minnesota Vikings made a massive splash in acquiring tight end T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions on Tuesday right before the trade deadline.

He will slot in right away as the starting tight end with Irv Smith Jr. being placed on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain that will keep him out for the next 8-10 weeks.

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To get a better sense of what the Vikings are getting with Hockenson, we spoke with Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire about Hockenson.

6 things to know about new Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson

The Vikings new tight end is an excellent addition to the offense. Get to know your new tight end

The Minnesota Vikings shocked the world on Tuesday by trading for Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson before the trade deadline.

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With the addition of Hockenson, it lessens the blow of placing Irv Smith Jr.  on injured reserve, who will be out for 8-10 weeks with a high ankle sprain.

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With the addition of Hockenson, the Vikings are getting an excellent player who should fit well. Here are 6 things to know about the Vikings’ new tight end.

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Zulgad: Vikings’ GM sends a clear message with deadline deal for T.J. Hockenson

From @jzulgad: The decision to trade for T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline sends a clear message to the Vikings players and coaching staff

The Vikings entered this season coming off back-to-back non-playoff years and with a new general manager and head coach. This created unknowns about how GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell would operate.

Would they be aggressive or hang back, especially in their first season, and let things play out? That question was answered a few hours before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday with the acquisition of T.J. Hockenson from NFC North rival Detroit.

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The move, which sent a 2023 second- and 2024 third-round pick to the Lions and returned a 2023 fourth- and 2024 conditional fourth-round pick to Minnesota, brings a 6-5, 248-pound pass-catching tight end to the Vikings. The move shows the Vikings’ intention of attempting to capitalize on a 6-1 start that has provided the first-place team with a comfortable cushion in the NFC North.

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The fact that outside of Philadelphia (7-0) there is no team in the conference that is clearly better than the Vikings also probably played a role.

The Vikings had spent the past week working the phones at TCO Performance Center to discuss various deals. The team’s depth needs included defensive tackle, defensive end, cornerback, tight end and wide receiver.

That last position is interesting because with veteran Adam Thielen clearly struggling with a leg injury, his speed has been impacted but his hands have not. Ideally, the Vikings could have added another deep threat to open up opportunities for Pro Bowl wide receiver Justin Jefferson but that didn’t happen.

The Vikings’ decision to pursue a tight end was made easier after Irv Smith Jr., suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Smith was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, shortly after the Hockenson trade was made. He reportedly is expected to miss eight-to-10 weeks.

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Smith also hadn’t lived up to the expectations many had for him after the Vikings drafted him in the second round in 2019. Smith missed all of last season because of a knee injury suffered in an exhibition game at Kansas City, and had 22 catches (33 targets) for 168 yards and two touchdowns in seven games this season. He also dropped what likely would have been a touchdown in the Vikings’ lone loss of the season in Week 2 against Philadelphia.

Smith’s absence left the Vikings with only veteran Johnny Mundt at tight end. Ben Ellefson, who is more of a blocking tight end, is on IR because of a groin injury. Jacob Hollister was on the roster Sunday but that was because of an elevation from the practice squad.

Hockenson, the eighth overall pick by the Lions in 2019 out of Iowa, has 26 catches (43 targets) for 395 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. Smith was averaging 7.6 yards per reception this season, while Hockenson is at 15.2 yards. Hockenson’s best performance came on Oct. 2 against Seattle when he caught eight passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns in a loss for the Lions (1-6). He had three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ loss on Sept. 25 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

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Hockenson, who was named to the Pro Bowl in his second NFL season after catching 67 passes for 723 yards and six touchdowns, trails only Christian McCaffrey in yards after the catch over expected this season, according to Next Gen Stats. McCaffrey is at plus-163 and Hockenson at plus-117. That will be a major boost to the Vikings, whose tight ends as a group ranked 30th in YAC over expected (minus-13) through the first eight weeks.

The only concern might be that Hockenson played in every game only once in his first three seasons and has dealt with a knee issue of late.

The 25-year-old is only a year older than Smith, and his presence should enable O’Connell to call more passing plays that involve the tight end. O’Connell also almost certainly will use Hockenson as a way to increase the “illusion of complexity” for his offense and quarterback Kirk Cousins.

As for Adofo-Mensah, the trade is a signal from the front office that it believes in this roster and the opportunity it has to not only get into the playoffs but make a run. It also provides the first sign that Adofo-Mensah is willing to go for it when he sees an opportunity.

It’s now up to O’Connell and his players to reward that faith.

Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com

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Vikings place tight end Irv Smith Jr. on injured reserve

The Vikings starting tight end to miss serious time with ankle injury

On the last touchdown drive the Minnesota Vikings had against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, tight end Irv Smith Jr. injured his ankle.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team sent him for an MRI to see the severity of the injury and initial reports on Monday were a high ankle sprain with Smith Jr. missing an undetermined amount of time.

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With the Vikings trading for T.J. Hockenson, it sent a message that Smith Jr. was likely to be out for some time. On Tuesday a mere two hours after the trade, he was placed on injured reserve and will be out 8-10 weeks.

This is a tough loss for the Vikings, but the blow is lessened with the acquisition of Hockenson. The timeline for Smith Jr. to return is around week 17 when the Vikings head to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.

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