ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post

kcbubb · 03-18-2022, 10:13 PM

This was eye popping to me from the article. Is this right? Could we still trade for hunter?

Hunter only has an $8.3 million cap hit in 2022

Here’s the entire article.

https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/list...nielle-hunter/

If the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to improve their pass rush prior to the 2022 NFL draft, their options to do so are running thin.

The best remaining option for the Chiefs might be to call the Minnesota Vikings about a trade for DE Danielle Hunter. The Vikings have been fielding calls about Hunter since Saturday, March 12 and they’ve yet to find a suitor, but the clock is ticking for Minnesota here. Hunter is due a roster bonus of $18 million on Sunday, March 20th. At that point, his $25.83 million salary-cap hit is all but final for the Vikings.

Now, you’ve probably got some questions about Hunter, his cost and what trade compensation might look like in this scenario. We’ll answer all of those questions down below:

So why would the Chiefs opt to go with Hunter? All of the top free agents at the edge rusher position have already signed with other teams. You can add some mid-tier players and hope for the best, but that’s hardly going to improve your pass rush.

Hunter is still just 27 years old and won’t turn 28 until late October. So he’d fit the youth movement that Brett Veach currently has going on in Kansas City.

Now, Hunter is coming off consecutive seasons with injuries. In 2020, he had a herniated disk in his neck that caused season-ending surgery. In 2021, Hunter returned at the start of the season and was as effective as ever. He appeared in seven games, recording 38 total tackles, six sacks and 21 pressures. That’s an average of nearly a sack and three pressures per game. Unfortunately, in that seventh game, Hunter tore his pec and missed the remainder of the 2021 NFL season. That said, he’s expected to be back healthy and ready to go again in Week 1.

Prior to those two injuries, Hunter put together back-to-back double-digit sack seasons. He was tracking to have double digits again in 2021 had he stayed healthy. If you’re Kansas City, you haven’t had a double-digit sack pass-rusher since 2018 when Chris Jones and Dee Ford both hit double-digit numbers in sacks. That’s the big problem you’re trying to correct if you’re the Chiefs, turning some of those pressures that you’ve been getting into sacks. If you get a healthy Hunter for 2022, he may give you the best possible shot at doing exactly that.

You might have seen earlier that Hunter has a salary cap hit of $25 million in 2022, but that’s not what he’ll cost the Chiefs. In fact, if the team were to trade for him, he’d cost them just over $25 million in cap space for the next two seasons combined. The Vikings would incur an $11.4 million cap hit in the trade, leaving Kansas City to pay $14.3 million in 2022. Hunter only has an $8.3 million cap hit in 2022, but he has $2.2 million left attached to void years on his contract. That means the Chiefs would be paying $10.5 million for Hunter in 2023. It totals out to around $25.5 million spanning 2022 and 2023.

What could the trade compensation look like?

Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The Chiefs would be getting a premium pass rusher at an affordable price for the next two seasons in this trade. The Vikings know this and they’re going to want a good asset in return. I’ve seen plenty of wishful thinking that they’d accept a third- or fourth-round draft pick in return for Hunter. That’s probably unlikely because it’s not like Minnesota doesn’t have options here. They can restructure his contract and free up cap space, but that would push more money into the future and create cap problems down the line. They could also just cut Hunter outright and save about $18 million in cap space.

If Brett Veach wants to acquire Hunter on his current deal, it might be a scenario like the Orlando Brown trade last season. KC trades pick No. 30 and a future pick to Minnesota. In return, they would send pick No. 46 and Hunter to the Chiefs. KC would drop 16 spots, but still would be in range to grab a pair of contributors in Round 2 as they did with Nick Bolton and Creed Humphrey a year ago. The Chiefs are paying for the right to keep Hunter on what is a very affordable two-year contract, as opposed to paying him millions more on the free-agent market.

03-18-2022, 10:13 PM	#106
kcbubb Veteran Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $5156719	This was eye popping to me from the article. Is this right? Could we still trade for hunter? Hunter only has an $8.3 million cap hit in 2022 Here’s the entire article. https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/list...nielle-hunter/ If the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to improve their pass rush prior to the 2022 NFL draft, their options to do so are running thin. The best remaining option for the Chiefs might be to call the Minnesota Vikings about a trade for DE Danielle Hunter. The Vikings have been fielding calls about Hunter since Saturday, March 12 and they’ve yet to find a suitor, but the clock is ticking for Minnesota here. Hunter is due a roster bonus of $18 million on Sunday, March 20th. At that point, his $25.83 million salary-cap hit is all but final for the Vikings. Now, you’ve probably got some questions about Hunter, his cost and what trade compensation might look like in this scenario. We’ll answer all of those questions down below: So why would the Chiefs opt to go with Hunter? All of the top free agents at the edge rusher position have already signed with other teams. You can add some mid-tier players and hope for the best, but that’s hardly going to improve your pass rush. Hunter is still just 27 years old and won’t turn 28 until late October. So he’d fit the youth movement that Brett Veach currently has going on in Kansas City. Now, Hunter is coming off consecutive seasons with injuries. In 2020, he had a herniated disk in his neck that caused season-ending surgery. In 2021, Hunter returned at the start of the season and was as effective as ever. He appeared in seven games, recording 38 total tackles, six sacks and 21 pressures. That’s an average of nearly a sack and three pressures per game. Unfortunately, in that seventh game, Hunter tore his pec and missed the remainder of the 2021 NFL season. That said, he’s expected to be back healthy and ready to go again in Week 1. Prior to those two injuries, Hunter put together back-to-back double-digit sack seasons. He was tracking to have double digits again in 2021 had he stayed healthy. If you’re Kansas City, you haven’t had a double-digit sack pass-rusher since 2018 when Chris Jones and Dee Ford both hit double-digit numbers in sacks. That’s the big problem you’re trying to correct if you’re the Chiefs, turning some of those pressures that you’ve been getting into sacks. If you get a healthy Hunter for 2022, he may give you the best possible shot at doing exactly that. You might have seen earlier that Hunter has a salary cap hit of $25 million in 2022, but that’s not what he’ll cost the Chiefs. In fact, if the team were to trade for him, he’d cost them just over $25 million in cap space for the next two seasons combined. The Vikings would incur an $11.4 million cap hit in the trade, leaving Kansas City to pay $14.3 million in 2022. Hunter only has an $8.3 million cap hit in 2022, but he has $2.2 million left attached to void years on his contract. That means the Chiefs would be paying $10.5 million for Hunter in 2023. It totals out to around $25.5 million spanning 2022 and 2023. What could the trade compensation look like? Ron Jenkins/Getty Images The Chiefs would be getting a premium pass rusher at an affordable price for the next two seasons in this trade. The Vikings know this and they’re going to want a good asset in return. I’ve seen plenty of wishful thinking that they’d accept a third- or fourth-round draft pick in return for Hunter. That’s probably unlikely because it’s not like Minnesota doesn’t have options here. They can restructure his contract and free up cap space, but that would push more money into the future and create cap problems down the line. They could also just cut Hunter outright and save about $18 million in cap space. If Brett Veach wants to acquire Hunter on his current deal, it might be a scenario like the Orlando Brown trade last season. KC trades pick No. 30 and a future pick to Minnesota. In return, they would send pick No. 46 and Hunter to the Chiefs. KC would drop 16 spots, but still would be in range to grab a pair of contributors in Round 2 as they did with Nick Bolton and Creed Humphrey a year ago. The Chiefs are paying for the right to keep Hunter on what is a very affordable two-year contract, as opposed to paying him millions more on the free-agent market.
Posts: 2,549