FRISCO, Texas — The negotiations are complete. A deal has been struck. The Dallas Cowboys are pleased to see that Von Miller and Hunter Luepke officially agreed to terms on who will wear No. 40 during the 2026 season.
All jokes aside, it's been a fun story to follow. The No. 40 has belonged to Luepke since he joined the Cowboys as an undrafted talent out of North Dakota State in 2023, clawing his way to the active roster, where he's been ever since.
But, going forward, it will be Miller staying in that jersey, and Luepke will wear No. 30, the other headline move being the absence of one at all: rookie 11th-overall pick Caleb Downs has not changed from the No. 13 assigned to him when he arrived in Dallas in the spring.
The full list of new number assignments, to date, are here (in numerical order):
- 11 - Alijah Clark, S
- 18 - Jonathan Mingo, WR
- 23 - Ameer Speed, CB
- 25 - Israel Abanikanda, RB
- 30 - Hunter Luepke, FB
- 31 - Emari Demercado, RB
- 40 - Von Miller, OLB
- 47 - Mitch Van Vooren, TE
- 59 - Tyrus Wheat, OLB
- 64 - Wanya Morris, OT
- 77 - Broderick Jones, OT
- 80 - Camden Brown, WR
- 81 - Jordan Hudson, WR
- 90 - Jonathan Bullard, DT
- 93 - Elijah Garcia, DT
Note: Once Week 1 arrives (next week), any number assigned to a player can not be changed until the offseason. This list could also be added to or amended in the next several days.
Miller, the newcomer, being a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, carries plenty of weight in these jersey number streets. The seven-time All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl Champion and former Super Bowl MVP remains as gracious as he's ever been, however, and he had no plans in trying to muscle the No. 40 away from Luepke.
Instead, he offered up a variety of options to woo it away from him — including a free chicken for life and full-body tattoo work, but the two ultimately agreed on Luepke receiving an undisclosed amount of equity in Miller's chicken company, Greener Pastures Chicken.
And, with that, Luepke moves to No. 30 going forward, allowing Miller to wear the number he donned recently for the Buffalo Bills and previously for the Los Angeles Rams.
Other notable changes include Clark to No. 11, Brown looking to make waves in No. 80 that haven't been present since Alvin Harper, and Hudson attempting to channel Rocket Ismail and Terrell Owens vibes (the good ones). There's also Jones in the No. 77, a number that will be forever tied to the greatness of future Hall of Famer and Cowboys' legend Tyron Smith.
With this all settled, the Cowboys turn their attention to a bit of rest during Labor Day Weekend before getting back to work in preparation for the regular season opener against the New York Giants.
And when you're looking for Von Miller at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 13, follow the four-zero.
