Notable Vikings free-agent claims he's not looking to break the bank

After spending most of the 2023 NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings, veteran offensive guard Dalton Risner is still in need of a team for 2024.

Back during the 2023 offseason, Dalton Risner entered free agency after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos. Despite starting 62 games during his tenure with the Broncos, Risner actually didn't end up landing with a team until last September when the Minnesota Vikings brought him in.

This offseason, Risner is a free agent again and he's trying to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again. On Tuesday, he shared the following post on his Twitter account.

Should the Minnesota Vikings re-sign Dalton Risner?

Judging from Risner's post, it seems like he would just like to sign a contract that he believes is comparable to what other starting guards around the NFL are currently getting.

However, it also seems like he hasn't had much interest from other teams in free agency so far this offseason, or at the very least, he hasn't been pleased with any of the offers he's received.

After joining the Vikings in between their Week 2 and Week 3 matchups last season, the veteran blocker spent his first four games with the team as a reserve. Then, in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers, Risner got the chance to start at left guard in place of an injured Ezra Cleveland.

Risner played well enough against the 49ers that he held onto Minnesota's starting left guard spot for the remainder of the 2023 season. The Vikings even felt so comfortable with him in the starting lineup that they ended up sending Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars before last season's trade deadline.

Risner wound up starting a total of 11 games in 2023 and he finished with the third-best pass-blocking grade from PFF among all of Minnesota's offensive linemen, behind only Brian O'Neill and Christian Darrisaw.

With Risner hitting free agency, we still don't know who is going to be the Vikings' starting left guard for the 2024 season.

Minnesota just re-signed Blake Brandel to a three-year contract, but he's never even played a single snap at left guard during his four years with the franchise, so it doesn't seem likely that he's a realistic option.

Former Green Bay Packers guard Jon Runyan Jr. just signed a three-year deal with the New York Giants worth $30 million. This is the kind of deal that Risner is hoping to land this offseason, as he finished with a higher offensive grade from PFF last season than Runyan, and both players are similar in age and NFL experience.

Would paying an average annual salary of $10 million to Risner be too much for Minnesota, or is that a number they'd be willing to work with?

If the Vikings don't end up landing any of the free-agent starting left guards they might have interest in, then circling back to Risner if he's still available might be something for them to consider.