Von Miller openly addressed how much it would mean for him to play football for the Dallas Cowboys earlier this offseason. After all, he was a Texan and grew up not too far away from where the Stadium is. He managed to secure a move to the team on a deal that is expected to reach $7.5 million, but the player is now facing a problem as his coveted No.40 jersey is already taken by Hunter Luepke.

Although he has not worn the number all his life, it is something that is close to him and he is ready to offer Luepke a high price to get it.

“I don’t know what uniform I’mma be. I know, you know, Hunter is 40,” Miller said on August 18. “I’m not going to get caught up in the number, but I did make some offers to him already that he can’t really, you know, come off of those. I think, you know, a lifetime supply of chicken would do it.”

The lifetime supply of chicken would ideally be from Miller’s Green Patcher’s chicken. The regenerative organic and pasture-raised poultry farm is located in Texas.

His numbers have always changed. Miller wore the No. 58 jersey with the Denver Broncos, where he also became an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection in 2012, 2015, and 2016. 

He then wore No. 40 with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills, and also wore it during his college career at Texas A&M.

Miller wore No. 24 last year with the Washington Commanders. He earlier told ESPN’s Todd Archer that he is not considering wearing No. 94, as it belonged to NFL legend DeMarcus Ware in the Cowboys.

As far as Luepke is concerned, he is not a heavily featured player for the Cowboys. Throughout his time in the game, he has worn only jersey number 44 and 40. Prior to Miller’s arrival, there wasn’t a reason why he had to switch numbers, but if lifetime supply of chicken is on the table, Luepke might consider.

Miller was earlier on a one-year contract worth $6.1 million with the Commanders, but became a free agent after it expired and decided to join his hometown team after sitting down with star quarterback Dak Prescott for a conversation. 

The Cowboys were Miller’s favorite team growing up, and after having a team-high nine-sack season with the Commanders, Miller has got the chance to showcase his two-time Super Bowl-winning experience to the team.

While Miller talked about his jersey number, he has arrived in the middle of training camp and preseason with no reps in a while, but the head coach doesn’t seem to worry about it. 

Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t want to “rush” Von Miller to play

Although Miller comes with a plethora of accolades and 14 years of experience, every player needs reps to get warmed up. Miller has not been on the field since playing the final game for the Washington Commanders on January 4. However, coach Brian Schottenheimer is not in a hurry to get him out there.

“We’re not gonna rush him out there,” Schottenheimer said on August 17, according to DallasCowboys.com. “There’s no need to do that. It’s more about getting him around the fellas, getting him with (Christian Parker) and the defensive staff.”

Parker, who is now the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys, was with the Broncos as the defensive backs coach from 2021 to 2023. This means both Miller and Parker are familiar with each other. 

This combination and the way the Cowboys are defending right now, winning their first preseason game 17-7 against the reigning champions, the Seattle Seahawks, make the Cowboys look like strong competitors for the Super Bowl, which Miller is eyeing this season.