In typical Vikings fashion, the front office extended the contract of a homegrown talent without overly affecting this year's salary cap.
Danielle Hunter's mega five-year extension worth $72 million officially kicks in 2019, following the final year of his rookie deal this fall. He immediately pockets a $15 million signing bonus, which is what drops the team's remaining cap number for this season by a prorated amount of $3,156,806, according to a summary of the contract obtained by the Star Tribune.
The Vikings have $14,061,115 remaining in cap space after Hunter's new deal was factored into public NFLPA records.
That number is expected to drop to around $12.5 million after the team eventually gets first-round rookie Mike Hughes under contract before training camp this month.
General manager Rick Spielman and cap manager Rob Brzezinski have wiggle room to get two remaining cornerstones — receiver Stefon Diggs and linebacker Anthony Barr — on long-term deals before they each enter their contract seasons. The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling broke down just how that's possible in this analysis.
Here's how Hunter's deal — making him the second-highest paid Vikings defender behind cornerback Xavier Rhodes — breaks down per season by cap hit and cash in his pocket:
2018: $5.063 million cap hit / $16.907 million in cash
2019: $13 million cap hit / $10 million in cash
2020: $14 million cap hit / $11 million in cash
2021: $15 million cap hit / $12 million in cash
2022: $15 million cap hit / $12 million in cash
2023: $12 million cap hit / $12 million in cash
Of course, NFL deals aren't the fully guaranteed ones you're seeing tossed around in NBA free agency this time of year. Hunter has $40 million in guarantees. That should include the $37.9 million he's expected to earn during the first three years of the contract. After the guarantees dry up, like most NFL contracts, the team holds the power.
