A Pair of Vikings Rivals Have Been Linked to Dalton Risner
For the second year in a row, Dalton Risner is having an extended stint on the free agency market.
Almost inexplicably, it appears that there has been very little or even no interest from the 32 NFL teams to bring the guard aboard despite the fact that he has been, at the very least, a solid starter throughout his five-year NFL career.
Well, Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon tried to make sense of where exactly Risner and a couple other top free agents could land this season.
Dalton Risner Linked to Vikings Rivals
According to Kenyon, the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions could make sense for Risner as a landing spot. Both teams have some questions on the interior of their offensive line because of overall talent as well as health. In addition, Kenyon added the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as potential landing spots for the veteran guard.
“Are we doing this again? Last year, Dalton Risner went unsigned until Week 3, when the Minnesota Vikings signed him to a one-year, $3 million contract. He proceeded to allow zero sacks and got called for only three penalties across 745 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus,” Kenyon wrote.
Indeed, on the surface, it would appear that Risner should have been snatched off the free agency market much earlier than now. The fact that he is now going into his second consecutive offseason of garnering very little interest on the open market is puzzling to say the least.
Risner took to social media earlier this offseason, tweeting, “Just In case anyone was wondering… I’ve started 73 games over 5 years in the league… missing only 4 games due to injury… earning the starting spot amongst 3 different coaching staffs… I’ve never asked for a bag, simply just a starting guard contract.”
It doesn’t appear like that big of a request for a player who has been a capable starter throughout his first five seasons. Vikings fans will remember that Risner was connected to the team for a good chunk of the 2023 offseason, but he didn’t land a deal with Minnesota until Week 2 had concluded.
Risner’s first lengthy free agency stint came after he spent his first four seasons with the Denver Broncos after he was selected by the team in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He started at least 15 games in each of his four seasons with the Broncos.
Risner also brought aboard Drew Rosenhaus as his agent this offseason, hoping that one of the top names in the industry can help him land a long-term deal that seems very warranted.
For now, there is very little steam regarding a return to the Vikings, so we’ll see where Risner’s free agency journey lands him in 2024.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.