Von Miller is going to great lengths to get his number 40 back on his jersey in Dallas, and the lengths include poultry.
The new Cowboys pass rusher confirmed Tuesday that he has made several offers to fourth-year fullback Hunter Luepke, the current owner of No. 40. One of those offers, according to Miller, is a lifetime supply of chicken.
Miller wore No. 40 in Tuesday’s practice, but the negotiation is still open. Luepke has to sign off if Miller wants to wear it in a regular-season game.
The Usual Price
Jersey number swaps in the NFL usually cost money or a high-end gift. A Rolex. A trip. A pile of cash. Chicken for life is not a typical entry on that menu.
Luepke is regarded as one of the better fullbacks in football, so he does not have to give up his number just because a future Hall of Famer showed up. The leverage cuts both ways here.
Miller Has the Money
The Cowboys signed Miller on Monday to a reported max-value deal of $7.5 million for the season. That is not enough to fund a fried chicken empire, but it is more than enough to write a check that gets Luepke to move.
The chicken angle is Miller being Miller. He has always been one of the most quotable players in the sport, and this is exactly the kind of story he will milk for a week of camp content while Cowboys media chews it up.
Why the Number Matters
Miller has worn No. 40 for chunks of his career and has strong personal attachment to it. He is 36 years old, playing what could very well be his last NFL season, and he wants to close out his career in the same jersey he wore in his prime.
Cowboys legends do not usually make room for guys jumping in from the outside, but Miller is a special case. Eight Pro Bowls, one DPOY, two Super Bowl rings, one Super Bowl MVP. He earned the ask.
What This Signing Means For Dallas
The Cowboys’ pass rush needed help after a rough 2025. Dallas already has Micah Parsons anchoring the front, and pairing him with Miller gives the Cowboys the kind of veteran-plus-star combo that has won a lot of playoff games over the years.
Miller is not going to give you 15 sacks. He is going to give you six to nine, plus 800 snaps of situational pass-rush IQ that a defense like Dallas can build entire packages around. That is a real upgrade for a team that needs to find its identity on defense.
How This Ends
Luepke gets a payday, chicken or no chicken. Miller gets his number. Cowboys camp gets a fun early-season story that has already gone viral. Everyone wins, except maybe whichever offensive tackle has to block Miller in Week 1.
File this under offseason charm. It is going to look silly by October. But right now, it is exactly the kind of thing that makes camp bearable.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
