The Dalton Risner Sweepstakes Are Already Over
Offensive guard Dalton Risner had to wait for all his contracts over the last few years, but not this year. For the first time, the pending free agent received a contract in March.
The veteran signed a new deal on Monday, allowing him to stay with the Cincinnati Bengals for a second season.
ESPN’s Bengals reporter Ben Baby wrote, “The Cincinnati Bengals retained one of their best offensive linemen ahead of the start of free agency, signing right guard Dalton Risner to a one-year deal on Monday. The deal is worth up to $5 million, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Shawn O’Dare told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.”
Risner signed with the Vikings a couple of weeks into the 2023 season and re-signed in the 2024 offseason. Last year, when Minnesota overhauled its interior offensive line, the franchise allowed Risner to depart and he joined the Bengals to protect Joe Burrow.
Baby added, “Risner started nine of his 14 appearances at right guard last season, including the final seven games of the season. He ranked 36th in pass block win rate as a guard at 92.6%, which is the highest mark of any Bengals player since Zac Taylor became head coach before the 2019 season.”
Risner has always been a solid blocker in the passing game, but his production in the running game never met that standard. Still, he was a nice contributor to the Vikings in both 2023 and 2024, starting a total of 19 games at left and right guard.
It’s quite noteworthy that Risner’s free agency journey is already over. When his rookie deal expired in 2023, he was viewed as one of the better blockers on the open market. Surprisingly, that didn’t translate into a contract, and he was available for the Vikings after two games.
In 2024, Risner was once again viewed as a starting-caliber guard. Just as bizarre, Risner didn’t sign with a team until late May, when the Vikings made his return official.
And finally, there’s the 2025 offseason. The Vikings allowed him to depart and there was very little steam until he finally joined the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks before the season started. That move paid off for the Bengals, who were extremely happy with the former 2nd-rounder’s play. That’s why they didn’t even let him test the market and just handed him a contract. He started 11 games.
“This is where I want to be,” Risner told the media in January. “My offensive line coach, Scott Peters, and Mike McCarthy. I want to play next to Amarius Mims and Ted Karras, because who wouldn’t? I want to play for Zac Taylor. I want to play for Dan Pitcher. I want to play for this organization. I want to be a Cincinnati Bengal. I want to block for Joe Burrow. I want to block for Chase Brown. I want to block for Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.”
“I could go on and on and on with a list of guys in this locker room, of why I want to be here, the fit, how I play, how I think I can help this team win, the continuity that I had with this offensive line, and how we continue to build all year. Yeah, this is exactly where I want to be.”
The Vikings, meanwhile, signed Will Fries to an expensive deal last offseason and then paired him with rookie guard Donovan Jackson. Risner was the odd man out.
Over the course of his career, Risner has played in 101 games with 92 starts. He can play on both sides and provide starting-caliber play. Given the state of many offensive lines in football, there really isn’t a reason to let him wait until the end of the offseason. A player of his level should be picked up in March.
After years of delayed deals, Risner finally avoided the waiting game — and the Bengals made sure he never hit the open market. The guard will turn 31 in the summer.