Danielle Hunter secured a large bonus on Saturday after reaching a milestone written into his contract.
When Hunter signed with the Minnesota Vikings over the offseason, the defensive end was seeking more than the $17 million guaranteed this year. Per Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith, the Vikings gave him the potential to earn another $3 million in incentives.
His contract says that if he reaches 14 sacks on this season, he would receive $3 million in bonuses. On Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, he reached that number.
On the Bengals' first possession of the game, they tried to run a trick play that saw tight end Tanner Hudson with the ball and looking to pass. Hunter made a play on Hudson, bringing him down and securing a sack, giving him 14.5 on the season and enough for the $3 million bonus.
It's been a huge year for Hunter, who is in his eighth season in the NFL. His 14.5 sacks through 14 games ties his career high, which he achieved in 2018 and 2019, and he has 440 total tackles on the year. He is also just half a sack behind Khalil Mack for the league lead.
Hunter has now secured the full $20 million for the season, and he'll be looking for another profitable deal this offseason in free agency.
