The Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Danielle Hunter is not expected to attend the start of Minnesota's voluntary offseason program. He is most likely not attending due to the $4.9 million he is set to make this year on his contract, well below market for a player with three Pro Bowls under his belt. The Vikings value Hunter, so a restructured contract is definitely a possibility, reports ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Hunter had 10.5 sacks last season while appearing in all 17 regular season games. It was the third highest sack total of his career, as he posted 12.5 sacks in 2016 and 14.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. After missing much of 2021 with an injury, it was great to see him return to form last season.

An overall solid career so far, Hunter has spent all 7 of his seasons as a Minnesota Viking. He was drafted in the third round of the  2015 NFL Draft out of LSU, now heading into his eighth season still looking to be well in his prime.

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Hunter now joins fellow Vikings stars Dalvin Cook and Za'Darius Smith as players with ongoing contract disputes in Minnesota. As voluntary workouts begin, the Vikings front office has a lot of headway to make in retaining key pieces of their team.

The Vikings are coming off of a solid but underwhelming season. They finished 13-4 and won the NFC North, but lost in the NFC Wildcard round to the New York Giants. Danielle Hunter was a key part of the defense last season, and if the Vikings want to build on the success they had, they would figure out a way to keep Hunter in Minnesota.