Dan Feeney

Dan Feeney's Biography

Daniel Feeney, an accomplished American professional football guard, was born on May 29, 1994. Currently, he is demonstrating his exceptional football skills with the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League (NFL). His journey from a college football player to becoming a crucial asset of the NFL is one marked by diligent hard work, perseverance, and talent.

In his early life, Feeney was an enthusiastic football player with the Carl Sandburg High School Eagles team, where he proved his potential by earning four letters and was the one-year letterman in volleyball. Feeney’s commitment and skill didn’t go unnoticed, and he was awarded the team’s MVP in his junior year while playing on both the offensive and defensive lines. Furthermore, his outstanding performance earned him offers from Illinois and Western Michigan. However, in the summer of 2011, he committed to play for the Indiana Hoosiers, laying the pathways for his future achievements.

The first year of his college career in 2012 was significant. He created history by choosing to start in all 12 games, a decision that led him to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten honors at right guard. Furthermore, he didn’t allow a single sack throughout the season. However, 2013 saw an unexpected turn of events when he suffered a Lisfranc fracture during a scrimmage, causing him to miss an entire season. Despite this setback, he was redshirted to maintain three years of eligibility.

Despite his injuries, Feeney courageously returned to the game in 2014, contributing immensely to what ESPN coined “the B1G’s most underrated position group.” This season also marked a significant milestone for Indiana as the team set an unparalleled record with 3,163 rushing yards, largely spearheaded by Heisman candidate Tevin Coleman.

In 2015, leading up to his redshirt junior season, Feeney was recognized and listed for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy watch lists. This acknowledgement was followed by him obtaining consensus first-team All-American honors from renowned platforms including ESPN, CBS Sports, the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated.

Just before the 2016 season’s genesis, Feeney made the important announcement of his return for his senior year. However, it was not completely bereft of challenges. He suffered a concussion while playing against Ball State in September 2016, though he managed to receive medical clearance to resume playing before the Hoosiers game against Maryland. Having displayed commendable resilience, Feeney was named First-team All-Big Ten in November the same year. His performance didn’t go unnoticed and he earned his second All-American Team recognitions by the Associated Press by the end of the season.

In June 2016, Feeney’s skills garnered the attention of NFL analyst Lance Zierlein, who marked him as the “best interior offensive lineman” prospect for the 2017 NFL draft. As such, he entered the draft upon the completion of his senior season, fulfilling the predictions of NFL draft experts who projected him to be a second-round pick. After displaying his skills in the NFL combine and completing all positional drills, he eventually participated in Indiana’s pro day. Feeney’s competence led him to be ranked as the second-best offensive guard prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, ESPN, and NFL analyst Mike Mayock.

Finally, in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Chargers selected Feeney, marking the start of his professional career. His hard work was rewarded again when, on June 2, 2017, the Chargers offered him a four-year contract worth $3.7 million, inclusive of a $924,632 signing bonus. After training with the likes of Forrest Lamp, Matt Slauson, Brett Boyko, Donavon Clark, and Kenny Wiggins, he was finally named as the back-up right guard to Wiggins after Lamp had to withdraw due to an ACL injury.

Making his professional regular-season debut in the Chargers season-opening game, Feeney continued to shine, making his first career start at left guard after the starter, Slauson, suffered from a season-ending biceps injury. For his efforts and exceptional performance throughout the season, he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Feeney continued to make his mark as the starting left guard in 2018, playing all 16 regular season games, and continued to do so in subsequent seasons. Notably, in the 2019 season, he made his first NFL career fumble recovery which led to a victory against the Miami Dolphins.

In 2021, Feeney moved to the New York Jets with a one-year contract. He played in all 16 games while starting five. While his tenure with the Jets was commendable, he also had a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins in 2023.

Feeney’s career journey led him back to his initial team, the Minnesota Vikings, in 2024 following a brief tenure with the Chicago Bears. As of today, all his strategic moves, resilience, and perseverance have culminated in his successful role as a guard for the Vikings.

Born to Tony and Kim Feeney, Daniel has a sister named Shannon Feeney. Apart from football, he also devotes his time and resources to the MS society, contributing positively and significantly off the field as well.