Buffalo Bills have been aggressive with Brandon Beane as their general manager and he has shown he is not afraid ..."/> Buffalo Bills have been aggressive with Brandon Beane as their general manager and he has shown he is not afraid ..."/> Buffalo Bills have been aggressive with Brandon Beane as their general manager and he has shown he is not afraid ..."/>
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Buffalo Bills: Danielle Hunter is the perfect trade target this offseason

By Brandon Croce

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 23: Danielle Hunter #99 of the Minnesota Vikings takes the field during player introductions before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 23, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 23: Danielle Hunter #99 of the Minnesota Vikings takes the field during player introductions before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 23, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Bills have been aggressive with Brandon Beane as their general manager and he has shown he is not afraid to make a deal for players he wants. In 2018, the Bills traded up a few times in the first round to get Josh Alen and last year he sent a package of picks, including a first rounder, for Stefon Diggs.

This offseason the primary focus needs to be on improving the pass rush and the best option may be calling the Minnesota Vikings again to work out a trade. This time the discussions should be centered around defensive end Danielle Hunter.

The Vikings defensive end missed all of last season due to a neck injury but prior to that was becoming one of the best young pass rushers in the league. In 2018 and 2019 he combined for 29 sacks, 41 QB hits and 36 tackles for a loss and made the Pro Bowls each of those seasons.

For the Buffalo Bills, this move makes perfect sense as they add an established player who has 49 career starts but is only 26 years old with plenty of football ahead of him. He has already proven he can be a dominant pass rusher over consecutive seasons.

So the question is why would the Minnesota Vikings trade him? They, like most NFL teams, are trying to figure out the best ways to get down to a salary cap that is expected to be around $180 million.

According to Spotrac, the Vikings are currently about $5 million over the cap if it is set at $185 million this offseason and that number grows to over $10 million if the cap is set at only $180 million.

Another reason the Vikings might be interested in trading Hunter is that during the season NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted at the time he reported Hunter would miss the season that the defensive end wanted to become the highest paid defensive player or to be traded.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1319309414050967555?s=20

When considering the cap situation for the Vikings, they are going to find it tough to give Hunter a new contract. It also goes beyond just this offseason as the Vikings rank last in the NFL in cap space for 2022 as well.

The Buffalo Bills meanwhile are in a better position to absorb that kind of contract, especially when considering they are interested in J.J. Watt, who is likely to get a deal around $15 million per year, which is in the range of the $17 million cap hit Hunter has in 2021. They also have $91 million in cap space in 2022 that would allow them to work out a new deal.

Next. Bills should avoid a trade for tight end Zach Ertz. dark

If the Buffalo Bills are able to send a trade package that includes their first round pick this year, with a few later round picks, it would address their pass rush not only this year, but moving forward and continue to build the foundation for sustained success.

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