The winner of our first poll for to decide the first Vikings edge rusher on the Quarter Century Team was none other than Jared Allen! Well-deserved and incredibly unsurprising with just how dominant he was in his stint with Minnesota.
Now, we have the two most recent star pass rushers to pick from. Will it be Danielle Hunter or Everson Griffen? Let’s find out!
Danielle Hunter (2015-2023)
The Vikings drafted Hunter in the second round out of LSU in the 2015 NFL Draft. Despite playing in a rotational role through his first two
seasons, Hunter recorded 18.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss from 2015-2016 and earned a spot on the 2015 PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Hunter became a full-time starter in 2017, playing in every game over the next three seasons. He earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2018 after posting 14.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss, both of which were career highs. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury, only to return in 2021 for seven games before a torn pectoral muscle cut his season short.
From 2022-2023, Hunter returned from his injuries to start all 34 regular season games in that span. His final season with the Vikings in 2023 saw him record new career highs with 16.5 sacks and a whopping 23 tackles for loss.
In eight seasons played for the Vikings, Hunter wad named to the Pro Bowl four times (2018-2019, 2022-2023). His 87.5 sacks rank sixth in franchise history and his 108 tackles for loss are unofficially a franchise record (the stat was not recorded prior to the 1999 season).
Everson Griffen (2010-2021)
Griffen was drafted out of USC in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. After five years of playing in a rotational role for the Vikings, Griffen stepped in as a full-time starter during the 2014 season, posting 12 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 16 games. He’d earn his first Pro Bowl nod in 2015 after recording 10.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. In all, Griffen was named to four Pro Bowls (2015-2017, 2019). During the 2017 season, Griffen earned his first and only All-Pro honor as he was named to the second team after recording a career-high 13 sacks to go with 12 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
He finished his Vikings career with totals of 79.5 sacks (eighth most in franchise history), 90 tackles for loss, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 16 pass breakups, 10 forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries (one returned for a score).
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