If this whole playing-fullback-for-the-Dallas-Cowboys thing ever falls through, Hunter Luepke may have a future on Shark Tank.
Or maybe, if the business deal he's apparently worked out with new teammate Von Miller comes through, he won't even need to.
Miller, the eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker and future Hall of Famer who just signed with Dallas last month, said on the latest episode of his Free Range podcast that he's close to finalizing an agreement with fourth-year role-player Luepke that would give Miller the No. 40 jersey he wants to wear, a callback to the digits the hometown product wore while in college at Texas A&M.
In exchange, Miller said, Luepke will take on a small equity share in Greener Pastures Chicken, the organic poultry farm
that Miller co-founded and co-owns, located just outside Austin.
Miller called the deal "90%" done.
"We kind of had to do some negotiating at first. He's been 40 for a long time. It ain't something that I can just come in and Boss Hogg," Miller explained on the podcast.
#Cowboys Von Miller says he’s “90 percent sure” he’ll be No. 40.
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) September 2, 2026
He and Hunter Luepke negotiated a deal that went in a few different directions.
Free chicken for life, full-body tattoo work, but ultimately landed on equity in Miller’s Chicken company.
(🎥: Free Range Podcast) pic.twitter.com/bCnEpf3UEY
Originally, Miller had offered Luepke a lifetime supply of chicken. But the 250-pounder had his eye on more than just gratis protein.
"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.'"
Then, it ostensibly came down to numbers: what (business) number would Miller give up to get the (jersey) number that he wanted?
"He wanted 2% equity, which would be up in the multiple hundreds [of] thousands of dollars. But, I think, a piece of that..." Miller said. "We were able to work it out [for an undisclosed percentage], and I'm like 90% sure that I'll be No. 40, and he's been great with that whole process."
As of this writing, the Cowboys official website has both Miller and Luepke listed as No. 40 on the player roster, ostensibly as the two have been working to come to an agreement. But as Stephen Mac pointed out on X, the team's pro shop is currently offering Miller jerseys bearing the No. 40 for sale, while a search for a Luepke jersey shows no number designation at all.
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Von Miller: '90% sure' he'll wear No. 40 for Cowboys after FB teammate cuts savvy deal
