It took a while, but it finally has happened.
The Vikings officially introduced defensive end Marcus Davenport on Thursday, with a virtual press conference.
A first-round pick of the Saints in 2018, Davenport recently signed a one-year deal with the Vikings.
The process took a little while to finalize, due in part to the fact that Davenport had been on vacation. Before that, however, there was a delay regarding his contract.
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.
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.”
It obviously wasn’t enough for Davenport to fail his physical and for the Vikings to move on. And he’s still guaranteed to get $10 million in 2023. But the Vikings have up to $2 million in protection against the possibility that the shoulder injury will be a problem.