Vikings May Be Able to Exchange for $94 Million Danielle Hunter’s replacement

This offseason is going to be significant for the Minnesota Vikings in a variety of ways, most notably at quarterback with Kirk Cousins nearing free agency. However, they will also need to deal with a defense that could lose its three best pass rushers.

Marcus Davenport, Danielle Hunter, and DJ Wonnum are all available free agents; Danielle Hunter, 29, is the most likely to depart after a 15.5-sack season.

This is where EDGE Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders might come into play.

According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Las Vegas Raiders “continue to weigh a potential pursuit of [Jim] Harbaugh” on January 13.

All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby has stated that he will look into making a trade request if interim coach Antonio Pierce is not retained, according to reports, but many members of the Raiders’ extended family still back Pierce.

Pierce interviewed with the Tennessee Titans on January 13, per Pelissero. But he remains in play

for Vegas.

Proposed Vikings Trade Lands Raiders’ Maxx Crosby

Faced with the prospect of losing Pierce to another team this offseason as he and the Raiders weigh their respective options, Crosby alluded to the possibility he could request a trade.

“I’m going have to consider everything. Honestly, nothing’s off the table,” Crosby said on “The Rush with Maxx Crosby” on January 14. “I made it loud and clear that I want to be a Raider for life. I want to be here, I want to win here, I want to retire here. But if you go and start from scratch again, I got to consider everything. I mean everything.

“I want to be a Raider, for sure. But if we go in a different direction, then there’s nothing that’s off the table.”

Crosby, 26, is coming off a 14.5-sack season, his second straight double-digit sack campaign.

The Vikings should do everything they can to avoid including the second first-round pick if they pursued Crosby like in this hypothetical trade scenario. It would be hard to fault them if they did, though, especially if they plan on bringing Cousins back.