The Minnesota Vikings made a bet last offseason on the health of Marcus Davenport, signing the former New Orleans Saints first-round pick to their largest single-year contract worth $13 million.
That deal already looked bad after a pair of ankle injuries resulted in Davenport playing just two full games this season — but the details of his contract signal the deal was a blunder by the Vikings.
On The Star Tribune’s “Access Vikings” podcast, beat reporters Andrew Krammer and Ben Goessling revealed that while Davenport had $2 million in per-game roster bonuses to earn, the 28-year-old edge rusher has collected those game checks despite being on injured reserve.
The only exception for Davenport receiving those roster bonuses was if he was out with an injury to a shoulder that he had operated on twice in 2022, according to Krammer.
“The Vikings knew very well his injury history,” Krammer said. “They knew what they were getting into and they still decided to give him that contract.
The optics do not look good for the signing with Davenport playing just 118 snaps this season. Goessling and Krammer doubt that Davenport will be re-signed in the offseason.
“He’s getting paid the same even on injured reserve,” Goessling said. “I’d be surprised if that relationship continues beyond the rest of this year.”
