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The Minnesota Vikings officially introduced defensive end Marcus Davenport as the newest member of the squad on Thursday with a virtual press conference. The lengthy delay in the signing being made official was reportedly due to an injury he suffered while with the New Orleans Saints, per Pro Football Talk.
“While the specific reason for the delay hasn’t been identified publicly by either side, a source with knowledge of the contract tells PFT that it includes a specific clause that points to a prior shoulder injury that apparently became a complication,” wrote Mike Florio on Friday.
The contract also took longer due to Davenport being on vacation, but the deal has now been made official and the 26-year-old is a Minnesota Viking.
Davenport was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, playing the first five seasons of his career in New Orleans before joining the Vikings on a one-year, $13 million contract that was made official Thursday.
The reported nagging shoulder injury could be a concern for the outside linebacker in 2023, and there is a clause in his contract to reflect that.
“As it relates to his $2 million in per-game roster bonuses, he’ll get the payments if he ends up on injured reserve — unless the injury arises from ‘a deterioration, aggravation or re-injury to Player’s following Pre-Existing Conditions: right shoulder and related structures, and all associated pathologies resulting from degenerative changes, labral repair, previous infection, etc,'” wrote Florio.
As Vikings’ Marcus Davenport still passed his physical exam, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue for both sides in 2023, and the clause ensures Minnesota has up to $2 million in protection if the shoulder injury does become a problem.
The San Antonio, TX native will still be guaranteed to get $10 million this upcoming season, and will be looking to put all injury speculation to rest when on-field workouts begin later this spring.