Former MN Viking Credits Fans for Getting Him Signed

Sometimes it takes a while for free agents to find a home. Of course not every offseason do the Minnesota Vikings have a boatload of space under the salary cap like they do this year, which allowed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to come out of the gates swinging.

Of course, that has not been the case in recent offseasons, since Kwesi and head coach Kevin O’Connell too over control of the Vikings’ decision-making process. Thanks to the influx of salary cap space for 2025, the MN Vikings now have the No. 5 highest-paid line in football.

That’s a far cry from the past two offseasons, when they were still looking for cheap interior help, all the way up until the start of the regular season. And when they couldn’t find anyone else, Minnesota wound up defaulting to the same guard — Dalton Risner — both in 2023 and 2024, to help fill their void of talent up front.

The first time around, Minnesota actually waited all the way until September (2023) to finally sign Dalton Risner. This, after weeks (maybe even months) of fans begging the franchise to add Risner to its underperforming OL. After finally signing Risner, the Vikings felt comfortable enough trading Ezra Cleveland before the in-season trade deadline, cementing Risner at LG for 2023.

Dalton Risner claims Minnesota Vikings fans got him signed in 2023

Nonetheless, one year later, Risner went through the same thing, eventually inking a late preseason deal to stay in Minnesota for one more season, before taking Ed Ingram’s job, just like he did Ezra Cleveland’s, one year earlier. Now, Dalton Risner is on the free agent market yet again. This time around, it’s highly unlikely he ends up back in Eagan.

But the time he did spend here, Risner credits to the fans. In a recent post on TikTok, the now 29-year-old free agent told his followers that it was their public pressure in 2023 that landed him in purple originally, That, without Minnesota Vikings fans demanding he be signed, it never would have happened.

@dalton.risner

Winter Whiteout Vikings’s Memories!Check out part four & don’t forget to tell me what stories you wanna hear! More coming soon 🤫

♬ original sound – Dalton Risner

“I’ll tell you what, as soon as I put this sucker on, gosh these U.S. Bank stories start coming back to me. Right now I’m getting something about high kick, hitting T.J. Hockenson about five yards, kicking that stinking foot and stretching my hamstring, but oh wait…What’s coming to me even more? Minnesota Skol Country fans, Vikings fans! Pretty much getting me signed back in 2023. My guys, and girls, Vikings fans, were in uproar. They wanted me there. They hounded. They pounded the table for me. They knocked down the doors, and guess what? I became a Minnesota Viking. I mean shoot, I was playing in it too. I loved those Vikings fans…Thanks for pounding the table for me.”

Dalton Risner – TikTok

Dalton Risner spent the first four years of his career as a starting guard for the Denver Broncos, before the Vikings signed him in September 2023. Minnesota was never serious about keeping him around long-term, instead choosing to pay and move Blake Brandel to left guard, while giving Ed Ingram every opportunity to win the right guard spot. Now, it’s more than likely he moves onto his third NFL team in six seasons.

Risner family + Social media

Risner is no stranger to social media. While his TikTok pales in comparison to wife Whitney (1.1 million followers), he has generated significant content on the platform. His “helmet stories” segment is a feature of his profile, and the shoutout to Vikings fans will certainly be well-received.

Related: The Minnesota Vikings O-Line is Getting Expensive

Minnesota took their time re-signing Risner last offseason as they sought an upgrade in run blocking scenarios. Last season Risner finished 13th out of 135 guards in pass blocking per Pro Football Focus grades. He was 95th when it came to run blocking.

Loved seeing Dalton Risner's attitude, helping his teammates in this game. This is a well executed screen, and you can see Risner rush in to help pick up Hockenson at the end of it. pic.twitter.com/8jqWrnXwPQ

— Matt Fries (@FriesFootball) October 24, 2023

While Dalton Risner always appeared to be a really good teammate and ultimate professional, there has always been something the Minnesota Vikings didn’t seem to like about him, even beyond his struggle to run block. This year, they avoided future Risner questions by signeding guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly to bolster their offensive line.

Risner dealt with some injury issues with Minnesota last season. Still, he played in 25 games with the MN Vikings, between 2023 and 2024, including 19 starts. In 2024 Risner made $2.41 million, which is likely similar to what he is trying to get on the open market right now.