Dalton Risner and Bengals made compromises on new deal; Ted Karras helped get it done

The Cincinnati Bengals knocked down the first proverbial domino of their offseason on Monday, signing guard Dalton Risner to a one-year contract extension ahead of free agency. Now, the Bengals are set to start the same primary 5 offensive linemen in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Zac Taylor’s arrival in 2019.

Risner publicly stated at the end of last season that he wanted to be back in Cincinnati, and after some back and forth with the front office, the two sides were able to come to an agreement in which Risner says both sides compromised a lot.

One of the compromises was likely Risner accepting a one-year deal. More often than not, players like to have multi-year contracts simply for the security of knowing where they will be playing for the next few years. This also protects them a bit should he suffer an injury.

Given his age and the Bengals’ historic reluctance to extend players over the age of 30, that is likely a large part of the compromise Risner had to make. For the Bengals, the compromise was likely on the salary. Before this contract, Risner’s highest single-year salary was $3.7 million. The Bengals likely wanted to stay closer to that range, but essentially gave him a bump in salary to offset not giving him an extra year on the contract.

Risner gushed about his teammates and coaches in his Monday press conference, crediting center Ted Karras for welcoming him in to the locker room with open arms. The bonds he built in the locker rook almost certainly helped him be willing to compromise on the contract details, as he simply said his main focus was remaining in Cincinnati.

For now, the two sides found common ground and if Risner has another strong season, we will most likely be following his free agent market in 2027.