The Vikings have reunited with a familiar face to add depth on the offensive line.
The Minnesota Vikings will be trotting out a revamped offense in 2024. Rookie QB J.J. McCarthy replaces Kirk Cousins who left in free agency for Atlanta. The Vikings also signed Aaron Jones to be the team's newest starting running back. It appears that the offensive line will also add a familiar face to the mix.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Vikings have re-signed veteran guard Dalton Risner. He will rejoin the Vikings on a one-year contract.
The 28-year-old guard signed with Minnesota last September and started 11 games for the team and appeared in 15 total games.
Dalton Risner should compete with guards Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram for a starting spot for the Vikings. Other depth pieces at guard include Henry Byrd, Tyrese Robinson, and Michael Jurgens. Risner can be a competent starter or a plug-and-play replacement off the bench. This looks like a smart signing for a Vikings team that needs to ensure McCarthy stays clean of pressure in his rookie season.
The Denver Broncos selected Risner in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He started 62 games for Denver over his first four seasons. Risner partially tore the UCL in his right elbow late in the 2022 season before heading into free agency and ultimately finding a home in Minnesota.
Justin Jefferson absent from OTAs amid contract discussions
Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson is reportedly not attending organized team activities this offseason. The team and Jefferson's agent are in the midst of contract negotiations that, if completed, would make Jefferson the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
Minnesota's GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, said a few weeks ago that he is confident that Jefferson will stay with the Vikings for the foreseeable future.
“We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives,” Adofo-Mensah said. “The process is still ongoing. We did say, ‘Hey, [let's pause] a couple days.' The draft's coming. They have players they represent. We have our process.
“Either way, whenever we sign him, we want Justin to have his whole week,” Adofo-Mensah continued. “You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month? I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it. We're excited to work towards it.”
Vikings fans are hoping that a deal gets done sooner rather than later. Top-of-market contracts are always rising in the NFL, so it is beneficial for a team to sign a player as soon as they possibly can. A handful of wide receivers (Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown and Philadelphia's A.J. Brown) have recently reset the receiver market already, so the Vikings would be wise to strike before Jefferson's price tag goes even higher.
Did the Vikings consider trading Justin Jefferson during the 2024 NFL Draft?
Are the Vikings taking their time because they are considering a trade?
According to reporting by TwinCities.com's Charlie Walters, the team considered moving Jefferson as part of a trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“There was buzz at draft time that the Vikings wanted to move from No. 11 to No. 5, not to pick a quarterback but to get LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was picked No. 6 by the (New York) Giants,” Walters wrote. “Had that trade occurred, Jefferson would have been traded and Nabers would have been the No. 1 receiver.”
Minnesota wisely chose to hold onto Jefferson and instead trade up one spot to select J.J. McCarthy.
Still, the presence of these trade rumors could be a clue to the Vikings' true intentions as they relate to Justin Jefferson.
