Many key figures within the Denver Broncos organization are waking up to the harsh reality that their time in the Mile High City might be soon coming to an end.
The next head coach will make significant decisions that will likely see some familiar faces move along to new pastures. One such player is starting left guard Dalton Risner, whose rookie contract runs out this Sunday.
After GM George Paton opted not to pick up Risner's fifth-year option, he will test the free-agent market this coming offseason. At times, the native of Wiggins, CO, has been held up as a prime case study for just how badly the Broncos' O-Line has played this season — such has been the depths of his regression.
Risner’s season-ending injury to his left elbow means Broncos Country may have seen the last of him in Orange and Blue. That said, he isn’t ruling it out.
“If it’s the Broncos, and the Broncos want to keep me here, I’ll be so grateful to be a Denver Bronco,” Risner told reporters on Thursday. “And I’d love to be able to do that, but it’s kind of a hard question to answer, right?”
Whatever the Broncos' view of Risner might be, he could still secure an excellent salary or a starting job elsewhere. Getting to live out his dream as an avid fan turned durable starting player for his hometown team provides a legacy the 27-year-old can look back upon with considerable pride.
“I’m not getting done with four years with the Broncos and looking back and saying, ‘Man, I could have done a lot better in areas,” Risner said. “I left a lot out there. I didn’t show up when I needed to. I wasn’t a good leader. I wasn’t good in the community. I wasn’t good to people. I didn’t give my all in practice. I’m able to leave and say, ‘I did all of those things.’ And I’m really proud of that.”
On Thursday, Risner was named the recipient of the Darrent Williams Good Guy award, which speaks volumes to the openness and availability he’s always extended to the media since arriving as a Broncos second-round pick in 2019.
Such respect and warmth shown between all parties will make Risner feel good about what he’s achieved in Denver. But in the final analysis, he realizes that in the cutthroat business of the NFL, it’s best to be ready and willing to accept that nothing is forever.
“If the Broncos value me and they want to keep me here and be a Denver Bronco, I can’t wait,” The veteran blocker conceded. “That’s going to be one of the biggest things, But at the end of the day, it being a business, me entering this next area of my life, it’s like, ‘OK, where am I going to be valued at?’ Is it going to be the Broncos? Is it going to be somewhere else?”
Typically, teams don't value O-line players who get into altercations with the quarterback room as Risner did two weeks ago with Brett Rypien. Off-setting that incident, however, is Risner's long track record of being a stand-up guy both on and off the field.
Time will tell what the future holds.
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