As players rely on standard jersey numbers on the field to identify their duties and those of their opponents, the new rule could complicate certain aspects of the NFL game. It is conceivable that block assignments on offense and cover assignments on defense will become much more confusing for players on the field. Tom Brady says on his podcast that the NFL may soon have no jersey or jersey number rules at all: “You could say, `Why is anyone wearing a jersey? Why does someone have a jersey number? Just take them out, put them on in white shirts and we`ll be in blue. Here are some frequently asked questions about the NFL jersey number rule. So not only do fans need to know which players have changed teams due to the usual game of musical chairs brought by free agency, but they also need to keep track of the number they are wearing now. What is your favorite number? 41? 87? 93? Of course not. These are stupid and ugly numbers that no one could like. But some of the best players in the NFL wear them, due to the complex and long-standing restrictions that determine the numbers football players can wear on their jerseys. Sure, that would limit the number of players who have the ability to wear the cool uniform numbers — but anyone who wears them would deserve it. I`m not here to slander Cedrick Wilson Jr.! But if he wants that No. 1, he has to earn it.

However, this decision does not seem to be without potential problems. The NFL has gradually adopted standardized jersey numbers as it evolved, the rule most of us knew about in 1973. Today, unlike fifty years ago, there is certainly a cool factor for bringing low numbers to adolescence and single digits. After winning Super Bowl LV, Leonard Fournette decided to take full advantage of the NFL`s new uniform rules. Officials must keep track of which players are eligible to receive passes on offense and where they line up. Assigning a specific number range (50 to 79) creates a simple system that allows officials to know at a glance if a player is an eligible beneficiary. College running backs have always been allowed to wear single-digit numbers. Los Angeles Rams receiver Robert Woods, who changed his number from 17 to 2, was advised by Rewilder, a sustainable design company focused on upcycling — turning old stuff into new products, like making backpacks or jackets from old jerseys.

In previous seasons, only quarterbacks, kickers and punters were allowed to wear single-digit numbers, but that`s now a thing of the past with the NFL`s new rule. In fact, more groups of positions are allowed to carry these single-digit numbers that will move in the future. Brady is referring to safety Donovan Wilson (who went from No. 37 to No. 37.6), rookie linebacker Micah Parsons (who wore the No. 11 he wore all season at Penn State) and linebacker Jaylon Smith (who went from No. 54 to No. 9). So it seems that Brady himself has figured out who`s who with the new numbers. No, the NFL did not ban No. 69. However, the NBA apparently does not publish the issue.

If you think you just saw an NFL wide receiver with a one-digit jersey number or a linebacker with a teenage number, rest assured, you`re probably not hallucinating. Starting with the 2021 season, the NFL expanded its jersey number rule to allow for more flexibility at most positions. The league`s owners approved a rule in April that allows running backs, receivers and tight ends to wear any number between 1 and 49 and any number between 80 and 89. Linebackers and defensive backs can now wear numbers between 1 and 49. (Linebackers can still wear numbers from 50 to 59 and 90 to 99 as they did before. The authorized figures for the other items remain unchanged.) But times are changing. The NFL has completely overhauled its strict numbering rules for the 2021 season, allowing most players to wear jersey numbers between 1 and 19. (Offensive linemen are always limited to between 50 and 79; Defensive linemen must wear numbers greater than 50, but not a number in the 80s.) For the first time in modern league history, star players at positions next to the quarterback can wear numbers that make them look good. Legendary wide receiver Julio Jones moved to No.

2 after being traded to the Titans. All-Pro Safety Budda Baker now wears No. 3; Minnesota Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook considered changing his number from 33 to 4, but he already has a lot of officially licensed equipment with “33” on it, so it didn`t make sense in the end. The Buccaneers announced that Fournette will wear No. 7, the same number as during his three seasons at LSU, during which he rushed for 3,830 yards and 40 touchdowns. Under the NFL`s new jersey number rule, quarterbacks can wear single-digit numbers with running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, defensive backs, linebackers, kickers and players. According to NFL rules, if a player wanted to change his number this season, he would have to buy existing inventory from jersey dealers. If he wanted to resign now to change his number NEXT SEASON, there would be no need to buy inventory.

t.co/XvduiMgSw3 The rule change proposal was submitted by the Kansas City Chiefs to the NFL Competition Committee and approved by the owners on April 21, 2021. After the expansion of practice squads for the 2020 season, some teams at certain positions did not have enough jersey numbers available. The new rule gives teams more flexibility. Unfortunately, NFL teams haven`t gotten the memo about good players getting good numbers. During the debut of Tiny Numbers, the season opener Thursday night between the Buccaneers and Cowboys, my eyes immediately fell on a Cowboys wide receiver wearing No. 1. Was CeeDee Lamb finally out of his boxy `88 jersey and into something more elegant? Had four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper retained his role as the team`s top receiver with the matching jersey? No, the player with the most prestigious number on the team was Cedrick Wilson Jr., a backup with 22 catches in his first two seasons. In April, the NFL announced that the league would ease restrictions on numbers that can carry different positions. Now, more players are eligible to wear popular numbers such as single-digit numbers.

That said, don`t be surprised if most players wait until 2022 to change their uniform numbers. This will create a new mysticism around uniform numbers. The number a player will wear will no longer be a simple seemingly random assignment from an equipment manager – it will be prestige traits. Players will spend their entire careers chasing those good numbers, and when they are finally allowed to drop their double-digit numbers, it will be a sign that they have been recognized as one of the best players in the game. When they step on the field, everyone will know, without thinking, that they are seeing one of the stars of the league.