The Vikings shocked the NFL community on Sunday morning, announcing an extension with a star player. 

While the team spent much of the offseason purging the roster of veterans, it appears there was one guy the team just couldn't get rid of. 

Per Ian Rapoport, the Vikings have reached a one-year agreement with edge-rusher Danielle Hunter. This puts all those trade rumors to rest finally. 

It was a long road for Danielle Hunter and the #Vikings, with all parties working months for a resolution. There were calls from teams interested in trading for Hunter. But the top option for coach Kevin O'Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was keeping him.

They get it done. https://t.co/XMQBFkPDzD

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2023

Hunter gets a $20M deal with $17M guaranteed and a provision that prevents the team from tagging Hunter in the future. 

This is a shocking turn of events after just yesterday it was reported that the team was close to trading the veteran. It appears that the team and the veteran came to a mutually-beneficial solution that will keep Hunter in Minnesota for at least one more season. 

In my opinion, this move says a lot about the Vikings' plans for 2023. Why give a veteran such a big one-year deal if you're planning on being bad in 2023? Hunter is an elite talent that is approaching 30, but still capable of having double-digit sack seasons. This is exactly the type of player you'd trade if you were planning on a full rebuild. 

The team replaced almost the entire secondary this offseason, jettisoning Patrick Peterson, Kris Boyd, Cameron Dantzler, Duke Shelley, and Chandon Sullivan. Additionally, the team parted ways with defensive studs like Eric Kendricks, Za'Darius Smith, and Dalvin Tomlinson. The Vikings will enter 2023 with a much younger unit. Keeping Hunter in tow will do wonders for bringing these young guys along

While initially seen as the team going into a complete rebuild, perhaps the team just wanted a fresh start after having one of the league's worst overall defenses a year ago. I believe that keeping Hunter will send a message to the team that the front office thinks they can compete in 2023. 

The Bears are still projected to struggle and the Packers are without Aaron Rodgers. This leaves the Lions as likely the only competition for the NFC North crown. Why not give it a go in what could be Kirk Cousins' last season in the Twin Cities? 

Vikings work out new deal with Danielle Hunter

They really needed this

Featured image via © Matt Krohn | 2022 Nov 24