Firebrand Former NFLer Claims Dalton Risner Will Re-Sign with Vikings
Dustin Baker
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Offensive guard Dalton Risner hasn’t signed anywhere in the NFL yet for 2024, but Antonio Brown claims that will change.
Firebrand Former NFLer Claims Dalton Risner Will Re-Sign with Vikings
Brown’s pseudo-news channel tweeted Thursday, “Sources: BREAKING NEWS. Dalton Risner will resign with the Minnesota Vikings.”
Risner and Brown share the same agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who Risner hired last month when his free agency turned stale for a second year in a row. The only problem with Risner returning to Minnesota is the source’s tweet.
Most of Brown’s tweets — especially from his personal account — are satirical and downright outlandish. But occasionally, he tweets valid information, so there’s no way to determine if the Risner clue is credible or parody.
Minnesota curiously hasn’t re-signed Risner, a beloved free-agent addition to the Twin Cities last September. He joined the purple team after fans demanded it — for weeks, if not months — and quickly grabbed a starter’s job while Ezra Cleveland was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But Risner’s deal was only for one year last autumn, and now he remains on the free-agent wire, a predicament that beset the man all spring and summer in 2023. After hiring Rosenhaus, however, many expected his free agency to heat up. If Brown is correct, that theory will be vindicated.
On his contract desires, Risner personally tweeted March 12th, “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.”
Six days after the Risner tweet, KFAN’s Paul Allen asked Adofo-Mensah about the chances of Risner returning in purple, and the young executive replied, “Where we’ve wanted to be is best available. That’s where we’ve tried to set ourselves up both in a draft and acquisition standpoint. So every option is on the table. That’s all I can say about that.”
Risner’s price in 2023 was affordable, likely because the regular season was in full swing when signed on the Vikings’ dotted line. But not this go-round. His overall PFF grade of 57.1 didn’t break the Richter scale, but his 67.4 pass-blocking score is music to the ears of Vikings fans. For years — arguably a decade — Vikings enthusiasts asked for a competent pass-blocking guard or two, and the wish was granted in 2023 with second-year lineman Ed Ingram and Risner’s midseason addition.
If Risner returns, the Vikings will again showcase complete offensive line continuity, as they did in 2022. into 2023. Minnesota encountered a few struggles here and there in 2023, but on the whole, the offensive trenches markedly improved, especially because of Risner’s steady pass protection.
Minnesota re-signed the aforementioned guard-tackle hybrid Blake Brandel earlier this month for three years and $9.5 million, signaling he could take over left guard duties if Risner isn’t re-signed. The Vikings could also draft a mid-to-late-round rookie next week to compete with Brandel if Risner isn’t on the depth chart.
Risner will turn 29 this summer. We shall see if Brown is onto something.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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