In the last 12 months, pass-rusher Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings has been linked to the Jacksonville Jaguars twice.
What’s a third time, then?
Regarding Hunter’s future as an anticipated free agent, an ESPN piece discussing rumors and other rumblings during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas raised this topic. The Jaguars were included in the mix once more.
“I have the impression that the Vikings will find it difficult to hold onto Danielle Hunter here in Vegas. He turned 29 in October, so he will have a huge market, and during the trade deadline, other teams expressed interest in him, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“Chicago is very high on Hunter and may want to add a pass-rusher in free agency to compliment Montez Sweat. Although they still need to decide what to do with Josh Allen, the Jacksonville Jaguars remain a club to keep an eye on.”
Hunter was connected to the Jaguars twice in 2023: once during training camp and once before the trade deadline. However, the Jaguars decided to hold off and sent guard Ezra Cleveland to the Vikings in exchange for just a sixth-round pick.
Josh Allen, a first-round pick in 2019, presents Jacksonville with a big decision, so they may find it difficult to believe this story entirely. Jacksonville selected Travon Walker with the first overall pick in 2022.
The Jaguars have not yet signed a long-term contract with Allen, but general manager Trent Baalke stated in January that Allen will play for the team in 2024. The Jaguars’ defensive end is a little crowded, at least in terms of starting depth, regardless of whether that means on a new contract or with the franchise tag.
It also raise the question of why the Jaguars did nothing to strengthen their pass rush throughout the 2023 offseason and season if they were genuinely interested in Hunter.
“Once more, we got a sense that Dawuane [Smoot] was recovering from his injuries and we knew he would. A young man about whom we had a vision was drafted.
“Moreso, thinking back on the season, are there any changes we could have made to improve the roster? I reiterate that I don’t live in the past. I don’t dwell on the past. However, we must keep examining those issues, and you should never stop working to improve and uplevel your team’s performance.
