VT Exclusive: Vikings Punter Ryan Wright on Trick Plays, Nicknames, and The 77-Yard Napalm Boot
Earlier in the week, I was fortunate to speak with Vikings punter Ryan Wright. Mr. Wright — as he’s affectionately known in Eagan — is in the middle of a very strong 2025 season. Our close-to twenty-minute conversation covered the Griddy, bagels, nicknames, Brian O’Neill as a punt returner, the worst feeling at the position, his desire to remain in Minnesota, and many other topics.
— Fans Can Vote for Ryan Wright Going to the Pro Bowl on the NFL Website —
Below, the “KJ” portions represent my questions/comments and the “RW” portions represent Ryan Wright’s answers. The interview has been gently edited to iron out some of the minor blips. Otherwise, the full interview is included.
Vikings Punter Ryan Wright Offers VT an Exclusive Interview
KJ: Joining Vikings Territory for a VT Exclusive is Minnesota Vikings punter Ryan Wright. The specialist signed a one-year deal in Minnesota during the 2025 offseason, fending off direct competition to yet again be the top punter. He has solidified the position since arriving in the Twin Cities as an undrafted talent following the 2022 NFL Draft. Ryan, thanks so much for agreeing to chat.
RW: Thanks for having me.
KJ: Of course. Did I get everything in your bio correct or am I off anywhere?
RW: Sounded correct.
KJ: Okay, good enough, sounded correct works for me. I wanted to start off just as kind of a break the ice thing, putting you on spot, rapid fire, just getting your opinion on things. Your teammates and things around you. Nothing too controversial, but just getting your opinion.
RW: Sure.
KJ: Andrew DePaola, your long snapper, is he better at: mentoring the young specialists, snapping the ball, or making bagels?
RW: Oooo, it’s definitely gotta be between snapping the football and making bagels. Because, I’ll tell you, the spread that he has, they make it in store, it’s incredible. It’s like a chive cream cheese, I believe. But, I’m going to have to say that’s a tie between those two.
KJ: Alright, good enough, I’ll take that. Which offensive lineman would do the best as a punt returner?
RW: Definitely Brian O’Neill.
KJ: Really? Can you explain why definitely Brian O’Neill?
RW: He has a play in college, I believe it was some form of a hook-and-ladder, where he scored. So he has to have some kind of ball carrier ability. I believe he might have been a tight end in the past, not sure. Feel like he’s the right answer.
KJ: Okay, I’m good with that. He’s an excellent, excellent athlete, so that makes sense. What takes more poise: a kicker drilling a 55-yarder for the win or a punter dropping the ball at the 2-yard line with very little time on the clock?
RW: You’re hilarious. Um, let’s see, I’m going to go with kicker because they’re actually putting points on the board. Even though there are sometimes as a punter where there are those nerve-wracking moments, but we practice those moments everyday, me and Will [Reichard]. Just going over them in our head, whether that’s with live ops or running onto the field with mayday. I’d have to say the kicker who puts points on the board.
KJ: Two more here for the rapid-fire. True of false: Tai Felton and Tavierre Thomas are the best gunner twosome in the NFL.
RW: 100%.
KJ: I love that. Finally, what’s the key to Matt Daniels being so good at giving his players nicknames?
RW: He just has a natural ability. He used to call me Mr. Wright since before the draft, [since] my draft year happened. Will the Thrill, that took a little bit more time, I think that’s probably the longest he’s taken on a nickname. He just gives everyone nicknames.
KJ: Yeah, it’s one of his — I don’t know Coach Daniels — from afar, he strikes me as being really passionate about what he does. He’s definitely got some charm and charisma. He also seems like this nickname master.
RW: Yeah, nicknames are just kind of a fun thing for him, but when it comes to football, he just wants to see us succeed. Very passionate guy.
KJ: Sure, okay. I wanted to ask you about your background in football a little bit. I know it’s been talked about you have this background as a quarterback, and, if I’m not mistaken — you can, with any of these things, feel free to correct me, because this is your story, not mine — but if I’m not mistaken, you were a 3-star quarterback prospect, and ranked well, but not the very, very top. Whereas with punter, you were ranked much closer to the top, and so opted to punt. Is that, more or less, an accurate rendering of things?
RW: More or less, yeah. I think after my junior season I got that ranking as a quarterback from 247 Sports. And we actually got in touch with them, because I was also, or I should be ranked as a punter, as well. But they weren’t doing it like that, they were only doing it, ‘okay, you can either be a quarterback or a punter. Or we can put you in the athlete category.’ But that doesn’t really work, either. So I think after my junior season I decided I just wanted to be a punter on there so I could get recruited by colleges as a punter and kind of gave up that quarterback dream pretty early. I still did it my senior year, but I definitely focused a little bit more on punting.
KJ: I think the obvious is on trick plays, you have this ability to throw, but is there anything else about being a quarterback or at least having a history of being a quarterback that has equipped you to be a punter? Is there anything, any crossover there between the two positions that set you up to do better as a punter?
RW: In a way, I think it has helped me. Probably in just in one way just obviously because I haven’t played quarterback since high school and it’s been a long time since that, but I’d say the poise that I have as a punter, running onto the field, just being calm and cool, you know?
KJ: Yup, yup.
RW: Other than that, you’re spot on about the trick plays. Other than that, there’s really not too much crossover.
KJ: By the time your career is done in ten years, fifteen years, let’s say, you’ve got a little way. You’re 25, right?
RW: Yup.
KJ: Just confirming, I think that’s what I saw. Are you going to have more tackles or more completed passes on your stat sheet?
RW: Probably more completed passes, I’d say.
KJ: Alright, I’m good with that. And not to wish ill on any of your teammates, but as a hypothetical here, if all the quarterbacks took sick at the last moment, and Kevin O’Connell comes up to you and asks you to be the [quarterback]* on Sunday, how competent is the offense going to be?
RW: If he asked me to be the quarterback?
KJ: Yeah, you gotta step in and fill-in at quarterback last moment.
RW: Shoot, I’d do it, I’m not sure how well I’d do it but I’d do it if KO thought that was the best thing for the team.
KJ: Wanted to ask you a little bit, about specifically punting. Obviously, we’re talking a lot about punting, but I think a lot of fans have, or have a sense from the outside looking in, there’s sometimes a sense that punting is relatively easy. But I think that maybe doesn’t fully hit the mark. Beyond just distance, can you clarify what goes into a really good punt?
RW: Yeah, so for a really good punt, in my opinion, you want to match distance and hang time as best you can. What that means is if you hit a 45-yard ball, you want 4.5-seconds of hang time. And that gets into the realm of not out kicking your coverage. I think fans and most people that don’t know punting, that’s probably a term that they have heard before. With our scheme, coverage wise, we like the ball to be outside the numbers, as well. So I really try to zone-in on having all those three on a good punt.
KJ: Fair enough. Do you ever feel like you’re a point guard throwing an alley-oop and Tai Felton and Tavierre Thomas are just getting down there right onto the returner’s toes, ideally just as the ball is landing? Is it just like throwing an alley-oop at the rim and then those guys just go up and dunk it?
RW: Yeah, in most cases, that’s for sure. Especially when they don’t get double teamed, they can win on anyone. Feels like I can just swing my leg and they’ll take care of the rest.
KJ: I know there’s been, I’m not sure how much you’ve seen this, but there’s been quite a bit of talk around Minnesota about McCarthy developing different styles of throws beyond just a fastball, more touch and so on. I’m wondering, is there something similar with a punter where it’s more than just — and this goes back to what you were saying about hang time — but is there such a thing as a change up and curve ball for a punter? I’m thinking obviously kind of in a directional and location, this kind of thing. But do you actually have different styles of kicks and punts?
RW: Yeah, actually I do. So, that, you know the 77-yarder that I hit in, was it London?
KJ: Yeah, it’s the current, I don’t know if you know this, but it’s the current NFL leader. No one’s punted one further this year. But yes, absolutely.
RW: Really? That’s actually really cool. That ball was a little bit of a change up, I would call it. We call it a “napalm.” It’s essentially a show right and whip it back to the left ball, and we kind of use that as a change up when the returner is cheating over a little bit too much. And obviously it’s a very low hang-time ball but it gets a lot of distance. So, if you kick that to the wrong returner and don’t get enough direction on that ball, it can end up being a dangerous punt. But I think it’s been very useful and very, a very good tool that I’ve had in my bag since I got here. Coach Matt Daniels kind of put that in my arsenal and I’ve really liked it. I also hit a banana, haven’t hit it too much, that often, but it might be coming pretty soon.
KJ: Alright, I like that. I gotta say, not to critique the terminology here, but going from “napalm” to “banana” is quite the mix.
RW: (laughs).
KJ: Are you familiar at all with the CFL rules for punt returning?
RW: I am not. The only thing I really, you said the CFL, correct?
KJ: Yeah, the Canadian Football League.
RW: Aren’t they similar to where you can’t punt it out of bounds? Similar to the UFL or XFL?
KJ: Well, so there’s a few different dynamics to it. Specifically what I was wondering, there’s been so much talk recently about the reinvigorated kickoff return. And with punt return, it’s often these [fair catches],* especially when you have Felton and Thomas who are just right over the top of the returner’s toes. There’s often not a lot of opportunity to return lest you risk getting hit pretty good. Whereas with the CFL, there is no fair catch. Instead, the returner is given a 5-yard halo, like a 5-yard circumference. And so the return team, even if let’s say Felton gets down there and has plenty of time to basically get right in front of the returner, he has to give him basically a 5-yard buffer. That, in essence, ensures lots of returns while also ensuring that the returner doesn’t get absolutely clobbered. And I’m wondering from your perspective, would something like that be welcome in the NFL? Or not as welcome in that you’re going to get a lot more returns coming off of your punts?
RW: Personally, I don’t think I would like it too much. But I know the NFL likes to make rule changes every year just to make the game safer and more exciting, I guess, if you want to put it that way. Obviously, I’d adapt, there’d be some new way we’d look at punting, as a whole.
KJ: Sure, okay, that’s fair.
RW: So, like, no, but if it happened it’s not the worst thing in the world, because it’s happening across the entire league.
KJ: That’s right, exactly, it’s something that every punter, every team would have to deal with. I know after punts, after you do a really nice job with your punts, you often display some emotion, you can be pretty fiery. How good would your punt have to be in order for you to hit The Griddy?
RW: (Audible groan). We might need to win a playoff game for that to happen.
KJ: Yeah, okay. Well, look, if it ever comes down to it in the Super Bowl or something and you do pin them around the 1-yard line or something like that with little time left, I’m not saying you have to, I’m just that would be as good a time as any.
RW: Absolutely.
KJ: Couple more questions here for you, Ryan. What’s the worse feeling for a punter: seeing the ball blocked or realizing you are the last tackler between a returner and the end zone?
RW: Worst feeling as a punter is that moment you know exactly that you mishit it. Kind of going back to how you said that some people think that punting is easy. It’s really not. You’ve got to pinpoint the sweet spot on the ball, in the exact same spot, on the exact same spot on your foot, and it’s gotta have the right lean, the right tilt. Gotta be dropped at the correct height and you’ve gotta do that every single time. So is it a hard position? No, but is it a more mentally straining position? Absolutely. You work so hard to hit the ball the same way every time so when it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t feel great. I’d say that’s probably the worst feeling as a punter.
KJ: Building off that a little bit, I wonder, can you speak to this reality. Let’s say you do hit a poor punt and then it’s a little bit different from a linebacker missing a tackle or a quarterback throwing an interception. Those players are going to get back on the field really quickly. Whereas for yourself, that might be your last punt of the game, or it might be quite a while before you get a chance to get out there again. Is that difficult to be on the sideline for potentially quite a good amount of time? Because I think a lot of athletes when they do poorly, they want a chance to respond. So is that a difficult part of the job?
RW: It absolutely is. And honestly I think that’s probably one thing I’ve done really good at this year. Just moving onto the next punt no matter what happened. And, knock on wood, I haven’t had too many bad punts this year. But when I didn’t exactly get the result I wanted, I feel like I’ve done a really good job of moving forward, waiting for the next punt. In years past, maybe that feeling lingers a little bit more. And that’s just maturing in the game and becoming a little bit more knowledgeable about football that has changed that a little bit.
KJ: That makes complete sense. I’m wondering, and this might be coming out of left field a little bit, but if you’re Will Reichard or if you’re a kicker, you often get compared to a closer in baseball. Is there a similar analogy for a punter? Like, when you look around at the sports landscape, do you see another position that has some good similarities to being a punter?
RW: That’s a really great question and I have not thought about that before. I think the easiest answer is a golfer. I guess a golfer in like those tight situations. You hit it into the woods and now you have to take out that tool to get it out of the woods, you know what I mean?
KJ: No, I like that in that you were just talking about precision, right? And in golf, if you’re just a tiny bit off, the ball is going to spray, right? And it’s similar to a punter, so I like that analogy. Final one here for you. Not to put you on the spot, but I know you’re coming up — this is a one-year contract — you’re coming up to the end of the season. It’s on the horizon. What does the future hold for you? Is the hope to remain with the Vikings?
RW: Absolutely. I love Minnesota. Treated me and my family very well and would love to have an opportunity to come back.
KJ: Fantastic. That is Ryan Wright. You’re having an excellent season. Thank you so much for agreeing to talk and handle what I’m sure has maybe been some oddball questions, but I really appreciate you making time. Take care of yourself, I wish you well, you’re having an excellent, excellent season. Keep going.
RW: Appreciate it, thanks for having me.
— Fans Can Vote for Ryan Wright Going to the Pro Bowl on the NFL Website —
* I had meant to say “under center” but just said center, presumably the reason for Wright asking about playing QB. I, a dingus, have adjusted accordingly to arrive at my intended meaning. Later on, I meant to say fair catch but said touchback (like a dingus). Again, a clarifying adjustment has been made, noted with square brackets.
Editor’s Note: Vikings Territory extends a sincere thanks to Ryan Wright (his social media) for agreeing to do the interview. Fans can watch #17 on Sunday Night Football when Wright looks to help the Vikings overcome the Cowboys. For another interview, check out the earlier VT Exclusive with Blake Brandel.
You must be logged in to post a comment.