The Houston Texans have landed the top remaining NFL free agent, bringing in former Minnesota Vikings fan favorite and four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter on a lucrative two-year deal.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Hunter has signed a two-year contract with the Texans worth a whopping $49 million. All but $1 million of it his guaranteed, and the deal carries a max value of $51 million, Rapoport noted.
The veteran defensive end joins a promising young Houston team that made a surprise trip to the postseason in 2023 with a 10-7 record. Led by rookie stalwarts C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr. and Tank Dell, Houston won the AFC South crown and defeated the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round before falling to Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens one week later.
Hunter will work alongside Anderson Jr., who took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after tallying seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Hunter himself is coming off a career year in which he record 16.5 sacks to go along with four forced fumbles.
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The 29-year-old Hunter missed the entire 2020 season due to injury and was limited to seven games in 2021. He was able to stay healthy and played all 34 of the Vikings’ 2022 and 2023 regula season games, notching 27 total sacks over that period.
For his career, Hunter has 87.5 sacks, eight pass defenses, 11 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 119 NFL games.
