3 teams the Jacksonville Jaguars must outbid for Danielle Hunter in free agency

• Signing Danielle Hunter would be huge for the Jaguars but they'll need to outbid these 3 teams in free agency.
Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Danielle Hunter (99)
Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Danielle Hunter (99) / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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1. New England Patriots

If there's a team in dire need of playmakers is the New England Patriots. If they want head coach Jared Mayo to have success right off the gate, they'll need to take out the checkbook and get him a few difference-makers in free agency. They'll also need to keep their own players from leaving. Josh Uche and Michael Onwenu give Mayo a couple of building blocks, and the Pats are better off retaining them rather than creating a pair of needs.

Speaking of Uche, he's coming off a somewhat underwhelming season, registering a measly three sacks just one year after tallying 11.5. Losing bookend pass rusher Matt Judon to a torn bicep certainly hurt his production, and so did an injury Uche suffered.

Judon should be back in 2024 but New England may want to pass up the chance to round out their rotation. Heck, they could retool their defensive front this offseason and the more talent they can get their hands on, the better. Davon Godchaux and Keion White didn't do much of note inside last year, so their interior pass rush could also use a boost.

The Patriots are third in the league with $78 million in space, so they should have no trouble offering Danielle Hunter a top-market contract and still have plenty to spare. Despite the fact that they won a paltry four games last year, they ranked 15th in points allowed in the league. Aquiring Hunter could help them turn into a top-10 unit in 2024.

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