In 2024, the Minnesota Vikings will debut a redesigned offensive line. Kirk Cousins, who left for Atlanta in free agency, is replaced by rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Aaron Jones was also signed by the Vikings to serve as the group’s newest starting running back. It looks like a well-known face will be joining the offensive line.
The Vikings have re-signed veteran guard Dalton Risner, per NFL insider Adam Schefter. He’s going back to the Vikings for a one-year deal.
The 28-year-old guard joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in September of last year, and he has since started 11 games and made 15 appearances overall.
Guards Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram should contend with Dalton Risner for a starting position on the Vikings. Tyrese Robinson, Michael Jurgens, and Henry Byrd are other depth players at guard. Risner is a capable bench warmer as well as a plug-and-play alternative. For a Vikings team that needs to make sure McCarthy escapes criticism during his rookie campaign, this signing seems like a wise one.
In the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Risner was chosen by the Denver Broncos. During his first four seasons with Denver, he started 62 games. Late in the 2022 season, Risner suffered a partial tear to his right elbow’s UCL. He then entered free agency and eventually found a home in Minnesota.
The absence of Justin Jefferson from OTAs during contract negotiations
According to reports, Justin Jefferson, the star wide receiver for the Vikings, is skipping organized team activities this offseason. Contract talks between the organization and Jefferson’s agent are now underway; should the talks be successful, Jefferson would become the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
A few weeks ago, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the general manager of Minnesota, expressed his confidence that Jefferson would remain with the Vikings for the foreseeable future.
Adofo-Mensah remarked, “We still have excellent communication with their representatives.” “The procedure is still in progress. We did say, “Hey, let’s take a break for a few days.” The draft will soon be ready. They stand in for certain players. We follow our own procedure.
“We want Justin to have his entire week, regardless of when we sign him,” Adofo-Mensah added. Do you have a friend whose birthday falls throughout the month? If we agreed to a contract to commemorate it, I believe Justin would be worthy of a whole month. We can’t wait to work toward it.
The fans of the Vikings are hopeful that a deal is completed as quickly as possible. In the NFL, top-of-market salaries are always increasing, thus it makes sense for a team to sign a player as soon as they can. The wide receiver market has already been reset by a couple of players (Amon-Ra St. Brown of Detroit and A.J. Brown of Philadelphia), so the Vikings would be prudent to act before Jefferson’s price increases even further.
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