Danielle Hunter returned to the Lone Star State in 2024, signing a two-year deal worth $49 million with the Houston Texans. He proved well worth the money, making the Pro Bowl after a 12-sack campaign.
Heading into the final year of his deal, however, he was reportedly seeking a raise. According to Tony Pauline, he was looking for more than $30 million per season.
Houston hasn't given in to his demands but the heat could be on after a couple of big moves. First, it was Maxx Crosby who signed a new deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, totaling $106.5 million over three years. Crosby will average $35.5 million per season with $91.5 million guaranteed.
On Sunday, Myles Garrett topped that deal. The Cleveland Browns signed Garrett to a contract averaging $40 million per year with $123.5 million guaranteed.
Hunter is just one year older than Garrett and while he doesn't have an NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award on his resume, he actually recorded more sacks than Garrett over the past two seasons. Garrett had 14 in 2023 and 2024, giving him 28 in that span. Hunter posted 16.5 in 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings and 12 with Houston, giving him 28.5.
This isn't to say he's a better player, but he could point to his production as a reason to revisit his contract.
If Houston planned on keeping him beyond 2025, it wouldn't be a bad idea to work something out sooner rather than later since these contracts will only go up in price.
