NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Hunter is now the NFL’s second-highest paid defensive end and will make $32 million this season, a $12.5 million bump from his previous contract. His deal becomes a two-year, $55.1 million agreement with $54.1 million guaranteed. Hunter initially signed a two-year deal with the Texans last offseason and now gets one more season in Houston with a pay bump after tallying 12 sacks and a Pro Bowl in 2024. With Will Anderson opposite Hunter, the Texans keep a menacing pass rush through 2026. This sets another price point in an expensive edge market with pass rushers like Trey Hendrickson and Micah Parsons next to cash in.

The Texans essentially swap edge rushers with the Vikings, adding the veteran Hunter after reportedly losing Jonathan Greenard to Minnesota. One of the top edge rushers on the market, Hunter totaled 16.5 sacks for the Vikings in 2023. The former third round pick will spend his first career snaps outside of Minnesota in 2024, lining up opposite of Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson. It’s a reported two-year deal worth $49 million with a max value of $51 million.

This doesn’t mean a deal with Hunter won’t get done before free agency opens up, but with the team also attempting to re-sign Kirk Cousins and extend Justin Jefferson, it’s possible Hunter at least makes it to the open market. Jeremy Fowler added that teams are expecting Hunter to seek a deal that pays “well north of $20 million per year,” which would make him amongst the highest paid EDGE rushers i the league. Hunter tallied a career-high 16.5 sacks with the Vikings last season and has totaled 87.5 sacks through his first eight seasons in the league. Hunter will be 29 at the start of next season, and should have no trouble fetching a lucrative deal should he and the Vikings not come to terms on a contract in the coming weeks.

Hunter has been the subject of trade rumors for years, but the Vikings have always worked things out with their star pass-rusher. That includes giving him a one-year, $20 million contract that features a no-tag clause this offseason. Hunter leads the NFL with eight sacks but his team sits at 2-4. With Minnesota’s season circling the drain, it would be smart for them to get something for Hunter instead of holding onto him for a lost season.