Report: Danielle Hunter to skip mandatory mini-camp

As a rule, we don’t get too bent out of shape when a member of the Minnesota Vikings misses Organized Team Activities. After all, they’re not mandatory or anything, so if guys have a reason for not wanting to be there. . .or even if they don’t. . .it’s really not that big a deal.

Players choosing to skip mandatory mini-camps, on the other hand, can raise significant red flags, and that’s the situation the Vikings now find themselves in.

Per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, outside linebacker Danielle Hunter will not be attending the Vikings’ mandatory mini-camp this week. The reason for this stems from Hunter’s contract, which is now officially an issue for the team.

Hunter signed a five-year, $72 million contract extension just before Training Camp started in 2018, and that extension is now in its final year. After missing all of 2020 and much of 2021 with injuries, Hunter had a significant bounce back season in 2022, collecting 11.5 sacks.

Hunter has a base salary for this season of just $4.9 million, which is a pretty small number for a player of his caliber. He’s definitely young enough where he could be a significant part of the team’s defense going forward and the team should, definitely, be looking into re-doing his deal here at some point. Will they? That remains to be seen.

But, we do have some news. . .albeit bad news. . .from the Vikings’ mandatory mini-camp, that being that Danielle Hunter isn’t going to be there, absent some last-minute contractual development.