Inside The Vikings

Marcus Davenport Will Be the First Vikings Player to Ever Wear Jersey Number 0

A new rule this offseason allows the number zero to be worn for the first time.
Will Ragatz|
Marcus Davenport Will Be the First Vikings Player to Ever Wear Jersey Number 0
Marcus Davenport Will Be the First Vikings Player to Ever Wear Jersey Number 0

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Minnesota Vikings

For the first time ever, a Minnesota Vikings player will take the field this fall wearing the number 0 on their jersey. That player? New edge rusher Marcus Davenport, who the Vikings signed as a free agent in March after he spent his first four NFL seasons with the Saints.

Previously, 0 was not an allowed jersey number. But the Eagles submitted a proposal in March to change that, and it was passed at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix.

It'll be strange to see a Vikings player wearing 0 — and perhaps even stranger that it'll be a 6'6", 265-pound outside linebacker. Davenport previously wore 92 during his time with the Saints and 93 in college at UTSA, which are much more traditional numbers for his position.

Vikings rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., one of the top undrafted players around the league, wore 0 during his college career at Miami (OH) and Cincinnati. But the veteran Davenport gets priority, so Pace will wear 40 instead.

Davenport, 26, signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Vikings in free agency. The former first-round pick has had inconsistent sack production in the NFL: 10.5 in his first two seasons, 1.5 in 2020, a career-high 9.0 in 2021, and a career-low 0.5 last year. What has been consistent are his pressure numbers and strong PFF grades.

Davenport wearing 0 will look great to fans...if he produces at a high level. If he doesn't have a sack for several games to start the season, the "0" jokes for opposing fans write themselves. There will also undoubtedly be jokes about the number of Super Bowls the Vikings have won, though that's nothing new.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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