Drafted by Adelaide in 2007, Dangerfield was immediately able to make a lasting impression with his ability to explode from stoppages through the midfield as well as play virtually all of the forward positions.

[1] Since debuting in 2008, Dangerfield's accomplishments include winning the Brownlow Medal, the Leigh Matthews Trophy, and the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award.

[6][9] Despite his disadvantages, Dangerfield made his debut for the Crows in their round 20 clash against Essendon during the 2008 AFL season, recording 9 disposals and 1 goal.

[11][12] In that year he became a regular in the Crows' senior side, with his style of play likened by fans and commentators to Ricciuto.

He received an AFL Rising Star nomination in round 3 for his performance against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, Dangerfield recorded, 20 disposals, 1 goal, 5 inside-fifties, and 5 clearances in the game.

[14] Dangerfield had his best game of the season in a 22-point victory over the West Coast Eagles in round 15, recording 23 disposals, 1 goal, 7 inside-fifties, and 6 clearances.

[17] In the 2011 AFL season, Dangerfield was given more responsibility in the midfield and continued to make leaps on improving his game, increasing his disposal average from 15.7 to 17.1, along with still averaging a goal a game, racking up 375 disposals for the year (6th best at the club), and kicking 23 goals (3rd best at the club) behind the Crows' two main forwards.

Dangerfield ended his season by receiving his first ever selection into the All-Australian Team as a forward-flanker and polled 23 votes (third highest in his career) finishing 7th in the 2012 Brownlow Medal.

[25] He switched between playing in the forward line and midfield, resulting in him kicking 31 goals for the season, the second-highest tally at the club.

He was selected for his second All-Australian Team as a forward flanker[26] and polled 22 votes at the 2013 Brownlow Medal, finishing fourth.

[27] He played his 100th AFL game against Sydney in round 11, recording 27 disposals, 1 goal, and 8 inside-fifties, but the milestone would not be one to be remembered as the Crows lost by 77 points.

[28][29] In the 2014 AFL season, Dangerfield was named acting co-captain alongside Rory Sloane due to regular captain Nathan van Berlo's absence through injury.

Dangerfield's season included a 41-possession game against reigning premiers, Hawthorn, a record for an AFL match at the Adelaide Oval.

In round 21, Dangerfield made his 150th senior appearance for the Adelaide Crows in their clash against Brisbane, he recorded 16 disposals and 1 goal in the 87-point victory.

[34] Dangerfield was recognised for his strong season when he was awarded the Malcolm Blight Medal as the club best and fairest,[35] along with being selected into the All-Australian Team as midfielder.

[38] At the conclusion of the 2015 season, he announced his intention to pursue his rights as a free agent to return to live in his hometown of Moggs Creek just outside Geelong.

Dangerfield took home a cavalcade of individual accolades at the end of the 2016 season—he was awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy at the 2016 AFL Players Association awards, as the league's most valuable player (MVP),[44] along with being selected into the 2016 All-Australian Team as a midfielder[45] and winning the Herald Sun[46] and The Age Footballer of the Year Awards, the Lou Richards Medal,[47] the AFL Coaches' Association 'Champion Player of the Year' Award,[48] the Carji Greeves Medal as the club's best and fairest,[49] and finally Dangerfield polled 35 votes, 9 votes ahead of the runner-up Luke Parker (26) to win the 2016 Brownlow Medal as the league's fairest and best player.

[52] Dangerfield had a brilliant start to 2017 AFL season, recording 37 disposals, 1 goal, and 11 clearances in Geelong's round 2 clash against North Melbourne.

[65] Dangerfield started off his 2019 AFL season in strong form, recording 37 disposals and 2 goals in Geelong's win over Melbourne in round 2.