Vikings Pull Marcus Davenport From Introductory Press Conference

Pass rusher, Marcus Davenport was the first significant outside signings of the Minnesota Vikings offseason. Problem is, he was never actually “signed”. Players were not allowed to sign with NFL teams until yesterday so, while Davenport and the Vikings had “agreed to terms” on a new deal, the two sides weren’t able to make anything official until Wednesday.

So on Thursday, the Vikings scheduled a press conference to introduce three signings from the first wave of free agency. (CB) Byron Murphy, (TE) Josh Oliver and Davenport were all in town today but not all of them ended up being introduced.

Marcus Davenport contract isn’t signed yet

But it was clear something was wrong when reporters in attendance for the presser started tweeting about a last minute delay. And when the event eventually started, about 45 minutes late, only two new signees took to the stage.

While the #Vikings introduced Byron Murphy and Josh Oliver at a press conference today, I’m told they’re still working on contract details with Marcus Davenport, who was in Minnesota today but has not officially signed yet.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) March 16, 2023

There are yet to be any reports that the unofficially agreed upon deal between Minnesota and Davenport have gone south. Only that details are still being worked out.

Still, delaying and cancelling a press conference appearance feels like a pretty significant development. If anything new comes out or if the deal does eventually get finalized, this blog will be updated.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan