The Dallas Cowboys‘ offseason subplot that had fans buzzing all summer is officially over. Von Miller, now in his 16th NFL season and finally playing for his hometown team, wanted the No. 40 he wore back at DeSoto High School and later at Texas A&M. To get it, he gave fullback Hunter Luepke a piece of his chicken company.

“Cowboys edge rusher Von Miller gets No. 40, FB Hunter Luepke gets part ownership in chicken company,” Jon Machota posted on X.

Luepke had worn No. 40 since 2023 and will now switch to No. 30. Miller will wear No. 40 for the first time on September 13 against the New York Giants. So if you want to spot Miller on the field, just look for No. 40.

He also wore it with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and the Bills from 2022 to 2024. The only problem was Luepke had been rocking that number in Dallas since 2023, when he came in as an undrafted free agent.

So Miller made his case. He first tried offering Luepke free chicken for life, figuring that would seal it. Luepke wanted something with a bit more upside.

“Of course, being the great negotiator he is, he was like, ‘How about equity in Greener Pastures Chicken?'” Miller said. “I was like, ‘It’s something that we could probably work out.'”

Turns out that was the winning offer. On Thursday, the two sides shook hands on a deal. Miller gets No. 40, and Luepke gets a stake in Miller’s poultry brand along with a new number, 30.

Miller didn’t hold back the praise for how Luepke played the negotiation.

“It was great,” Miller said. “You got to give Hunter a great shoutout. He’s learned from the best negotiators here with the Cowboys. It went down to the final hour, but we were able to get it done. I don’t want to get into the details of it, but I’m happy to say he’s my business partner. He’s a part owner of Greener Pastures Chicken. The chicken of champions.”

That puts Luepke in interesting company. Miller already has other NFL names invested in the chicken venture, including a couple of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.

“That’s part of negotiations. You had to put that up front. I think Hunter’s deal is sweet,” Miller said. “We got a lot of guys. Me, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Nick Foles. Throwing Hunter Luepke in that conversation as well as a part owner of Greener Pastures Chicken is amazing. I’m excited to have him on board. He was excited to be on board. It was a win-win for both sides.”

Miller had called himself “90 percent” sure the deal would happen earlier in the week. As of Thursday, it’s fully done. He’ll wear No. 40 when the Cowboys open the season, and Luepke will be in No. 30 with a little extra equity to show for the swap.

While he finally got the number he wanted, Miller did not sound nearly as settled about his contract.

Von Miller opens up on his Cowboys contract

On the season premiere of his own Free Range Podcast, Miller got candid about what his one-year, $5.5 million deal with Dallas actually reflects. In his eyes, it’s not really a contract for stats. It’s a contract for presence.

“My contract is what it is,” Miller said. “They’re not paying me for what I do on the football field. If I go out there and I get 8 sacks, 10 sacks, I’m way underpaid. I think they’re paying me, and my contract is what it is to be, you know, the locker room guy, to be a great teammate. They’re paying me to be on the team, to be the best teammate that I can possibly be, and help these guys with whatever it may be. Kind of bring some of that Super Bowl culture that I’ve been a part of my whole entire career.”

With incentives, that $5.5 million base can climb to $7.5 million, and it’s already being seen as a win for Dallas. His track record makes that hard to argue. Last season with Washington, Miller posted 9.0 sacks while playing just 37% of defensive snaps and starting only three games, pushing his career total to 138.5.

Miller knows his job now leans more toward mentoring Dallas’ young pass rushers than piling up sacks himself.

The Cowboys also revamped their defensive line this offseason, adding Rashan Gary via trade, drafting rookie Malachi Lawrence, and bringing in veterans Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark.

For a guy bringing two Super Bowl rings and years of postseason grit, that presence alone might be worth more than the contract suggests.