Vikings sign star DE Danielle Hunter to five-year extension

Danielle Hunter has been one of the most underrated pass-rushers in football over the past three seasons, and the Minnesota Vikings have no interest in waiting around to see if other teams learn how good he is.

On Wednesday, the Vikings reportedly agreed to a five-year, $72 million extension with Hunter that will pay him $40 million guaranteed.

The #Vikings have agreed to terms on a contract extension with pass rusher Danielle Hunter, sources tell @mikegarafolo and me. Another piece of their young core locked up.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 27, 2018

The #Vikings agreed to terms with DE Danielle Hunter on a 5-year, $72M extension, source said. $40M in guarantees. He gets a $15M signing bonus .Big-time money for a budding talent.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 27, 2018

Hunter, a former third-round pick out of LSU, was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2018 season. The Vikings could have used the franchise tag on him, but the big-money extension seems like a win for all parties.

Hunter has 25.5 sacks over his three seasons in Minnesota. His best year was in 2016, when he recorded 12.5 sacks and 56 combined tackles. The 23-year-old has appeared in all 16 games for the Vikings over each of the past two seasons.