Kevin O’Connell opened his Tuesday press conference by exclaiming that he and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah “feel very strongly about being solution orientated.” These were his comments in regards to defensive end Danielle Hunter holding out of mandatory team practice this week. Hunter’s holdout comes after it was reported that the Vikings were open to trading him last week following a contract dispute.
These reports which arose last Wednesday occurred prior to his absence from Vikings mandatory minicamp. His absence this week further solidifies these reports as true in addition to complicating Minnesota’s situation. Based on O’Connell’s comments, it is unclear on the plan Minnesota has, if any at all. What is clear however, is that Kwesi and Kevin have no plans to sit around and wait for the situation to work itself out. Rather, his comments seem to indicate that the Vikings will make a decision sooner rather than later.
The situation seems to be worsening for both the team and Hunter. For missing two days of camp, Hunter has already accrued almost 50k in fines. Tomorrow, a third skipped camp would result in nearly 50k of additional fines being thrown at him. These developments indicate Hunter likely having no interest in staying in Minnesota while holding firm that he is worth far more than the 5.5 million he is set to make in 2023. Hunter’s recent actions along with O’Connell’s comments point towards an imminent exit from Minnesota.
