Danielle Hunter Nearing Milestone Sack Incentives, Chasing Jared Allen’s Record

Vikings outside linebacker Danielle Hunter is in the midst of a standout season during a contract year. As the team gears up for Monday night’s matchup against the Bears, Hunter has notched an impressive 12 sacks in 11 games, putting him on track to surpass his career-best mark of 14.5 (achieved in both 2018 and 2019).

Following his absence throughout 2020 and most of 2021 due to season-ending upper-body injuries, Hunter made a strong return last season with 10.5 sacks and his third Pro Bowl selection after playing all 18 games, including playoffs. This season, his performance has reached new heights, particularly in terms of accumulating sacks. He tallied three sacks in Week 2 against the Eagles, two against Justin Fields and the Bears in their initial meeting, and at least one in nine of Minnesota’s 11 matchups.

Having turned 29 last month, Hunter has expressed that he feels like he’s back to being the best version of himself this year. Like many other Vikings defenders, he is excelling in Brian Flores’ ultra-aggressive scheme.

During the offseason, Hunter opted to skip OTAs and initially held out at the beginning of training camp until reaching a restructured one-year deal with the Vikings. The new agreement includes $17 million guaranteed, an additional $3 million in incentives, and positions him for free agency after the season.

With his 11th sack of the season a couple of weeks ago against the Saints, Hunter triggered the first of three $1 million incentives. He will earn another $1 million at 12.5 sacks and the final million at 14 sacks, requiring just two more in the remaining six games of the season.

If he accomplishes three more sacks this season, Hunter will not only establish a personal record for a season but also surpass the legendary Jared Allen to claim sixth place on the Vikings’ all-time sack leaderboard.