Vikings best move of the past week doesn’t involve Justin Jefferson at all

The Minnesota Vikings dominated headlines this week for signing wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million contract extension.

The 24-year-old has proven to be one of the best wide receivers in the league through his four years in the NFL. Having a perimeter weapon like Jefferson could be instrumental for the development of rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy, who the Vikings drafted with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Jefferson will demand a significant amount of attention from opposing defenses, which will simplify coverages and provide easier reads across the field for McCarthy. Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jalen Hurts all serve as examples of quarterbacks that blossomed with an elite wide receiver. Minnesota is hoping that the J.J.-to-J.J. connection proves to be just as fruitful.

The historic deal made Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, but Minnesota still managed to find space in their budget to add another valuable piece to their offense.

Vikings bolster their offensive line with low-cost signing

The Vikings signed offensive lineman Dalton Risner to a one-year contract with a base salary of $1.41 million, according to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The contract also contains a total of $1 million in roster and signing bonuses.

As McCarthy gets acclimated to the professional game, having a dominant offensive line will be just as vital as having a premier wideout, if not more so.

Risner joined the Vikings after Week 2 of the 2023 season. The 28-year-old took over starting duties at left guard in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers and finished the season with 11 starts.

Risner didn’t allow a single sack last season and surrendered just 30 total pressures. He excelled in the passing game and finished the season with a 67.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. He was less impressive in the running game, posting a PFF run-blocking grade of 50.0, the worst among Vikings offensive linemen. 

Despite his return to the Vikings, Risner may not have a clear path to the starting role at left guard. During Minnesota’s voluntary organized team activity practices, veteran Blake Brendel was lined up as the starting left guard.

Brendel signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract earlier this offseason, which suggests Minnesota has more faith in him than they do in Risner. Still, that doesn’t mean Risner won’t be able to win the role during training camp.  

"I would expect that there's still going to be a competition for that spot. I don't think Blake Brandel has that job locked up forever by any means," Goessling said. 

Either way, the signing provides Minnesota with additional depth at a vital position. The rest of the Vikings offensive line will feature left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O’Neill as the bookends, with center Garrett Bradbury and right guard Ed Ingram filling out the interior.