Danielle Hunter is home.
The defensive end signed a free agent deal with the Texans after eight years as a Viking, and the Katy Morton Ranch product will be back in front of family and friends.
"It means a lot," Hunter said. "It's an honor to be able to come back and play in front of my family and all the people that I grew up with. I know they've been pretty excited about the news lately. They'll finally be able to come to a game and see me play."
Hunter met with the media on Thursday at NRG Stadium, and was thrilled to be back closer to home. Aside from the money he reeled off a variety of reasons for signing with Houston, and the camaraderie he witnessed--in-person--was a key factor in why he's now a Texan.
"During the playoffs, I actually came to the game against the Browns," Hunter said. "I liked what I saw. Just the whole feeling of how the guys were on the field, playing for each other and the way they swarmed to the ball on defense. That was a big part of it."
Hunter was born in Jamaica, but moved to Katy with his family when he was 8-years old. After a college career at LSU, he was a 3rd-round Draft pick of the Vikings in 2015. 87.5 sacks and eight seasons later, he's a Texan. Hunter logged 16.5 sacks in 2023, and he plans on keeping the pressure up against opposing signal-callers with Houston.
"Just being able to go after the quarterback," Hunter said. "On the Texans, I should be able to do it. That's been in my DNA since I came into the NFL, and I'm happy to be able to go out there and play for my teammates and bring that to the table."
Hunter and the Texans begin the offseason conditioning program on April 15.
