Vikings’ $13 Million Star Returns Back To Team For A Pleasant Season Start Up…

The Minnesota Vikings’ gamble on their prized free agent signing in March, edge rusher Marcus Davenport, appears to be a major loss.

The Vikings signed Davenport to a one-year contract worth up to $13 million in the hopes of teaming up the former first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints with Danielle Hunter to create one of the most formidable pass-rush combinations in the league.

But after playing just two full games in the first six weeks due to a right ankle sprain, Davenport underwent surgery on his left ankle and has been on injured reserve ever since.

KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported on Tuesday, December 19, that the injury doesn’t appear to be in question anymore. Davenport has been out of the walking boot for almost two weeks and the Vikings have “thought he’d be back by now.”

The bigger question is Davenport’s “desire” to be back on the field, according to Wolfson.

On the “Mackey and Judd” podcast from SKOR North, Wolfson stated, “There has been optimism in the building going back weeks that he will be back.” He has a motivation to participate. Even though he receives these bonuses for being active, there are still some unanswered questions. It’s up to the player in the end. The desire to play is required. There are concerns regarding what the player wants.

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Vikings Shouldn’t Have Overlooked Marcus Davenport’s History..

Davenport, who was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 draft, is talented enough to command a high salary given his position. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Davenport had an 81.2 pass-rushing grade heading into the 2023 season, which placed him 22nd out of 104 edge defenders who had at least 500 pass-rushing snaps during that time. His pressure rate of 15.1% was 11th best.

However, his ability to stay on the field was in constant question in New Orleans.

In addition to never having more than 600 defensive snaps in a season due to injury, Davenport’s willingness to play through minor setbacks has been questioned throughout his career. This season, he has only played 118 snaps and has missed two of the four games in which he has been active due to injury.

For a player of Davenport’s caliber, it would have been difficult to sign him to a contract without a certain level of guarantees. However, Minnesota did not leave much on the bone for him to earn in incentives either.

Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reports that Davenport was given a signing bonus of $8.5 million, which was divided between this season and four more years that were left on his contract. In addition, he received a $1 million workout bonus on top of his fully guaranteed $1.5 million base salary. Davenport’s contract had a total guarantee of $10 million, with the possibility of earning $2 million in roster bonuses per game, or about $118,000 per contest.

With respect to Davenport, playing through injury for only a maximum of 15% of his earnings left is not a wise move for his health and career, especially if there is a risk of re-injury.

For the Vikings, though, it seems that his willingness to play at any level below 100% health backfired.