The Chiefs, who proposed the rule change, retired four numbers in the 20-49 number range: This group of numbers was previously reserved for running backs, linebackers and defensive backs. Previously, only quarterbacks, bettors and kickers could have uniform single-digit numbers. Now, that group has been expanded to include tight ends, wide receivers, running backs and defensive backs. Players on the field use jersey numbers to identify opposing players` positions and assignments. Quarterbacks and offensive linemen need to identify linebackers and defensive backs. Defensive backs need to recognize wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends. Your eyes don`t fool you: These are now all legitimate numbers for wide receivers, tight ends and backs, with the NFL relaxing rules on which position groups can carry certain numbers. While it may be a bit confusing to watch, the rationale for the first major change in NFL numbering rules since the 1970s is actually pretty good. 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. It`s a sentiment that was almost immediately expressed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who claimed that rule changes could even cause safety issues.2 In forms of play that have fewer than 11 men (primarily eight-a-side football and six-man football), a player can wear any number.
In the eight, there are only three ineligible recipients, and in the six, all players are eligible recipients. 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. If you`re an NFL fan, you might notice something is wrong when you watch games this season: receivers with single-digit numbers, running backs with numbers in the 80s, tight ends with numbers in teenagers. Players with numbers 50-79 are generally prohibited from intercepting or touching forward passes if their team is in possession of the ball and is not allowed to line up in a position that allows them to do so, unless specifically advised by the referee during an eligible match. Otherwise, the correspondence between jersey numbers and player positions is largely a matter of style, tradition and semantics. What will teams do with their quarterbacks, kickers and punters when every number from 1 to 19 is sucked in by a running back, wide receiver, linebacker, tight end and defensive back? Will we see quarterbacks wearing numbers in the 20s and 30s? The number 00 was once allowed before the 1973 rule change, but is no longer a legal number in the NFL. However, in 2020, college football legalized the number 00 to provide more options for players looking for those coveted low numbers. Brady is annoyed that a few guys from the Cowboys, whom he will face Thursday night in the first game of the season, have changed their numbers this week. «It was my first real number when I won a championship when I was five,» Moore told Panthers.com. «I always have exactly the same jersey.» Brady makes a good point. On the other hand, college football quarterbacks seem to be able to determine who is who, despite their softer jersey number policy.
However, college football is a simpler game, and no fan wants to see a step back in the quality of NFL football. On April 21, the NFL approved a new rule that relaxes some position groups that carry certain numbers on the field, meaning you`ll see a lot of funky new numbers associated with certain position groups on the field. As the NFL ages and evolves, strict numbering rules have created problems for some teams, especially those with many retired numbers. This problem prompted the Kansas City Chiefs to propose the rule change1 because they lacked the number of 20 to 49 to assign them to running backs, tight ends, linebackers and defensive backs. National Football League players wear uniform numbers between 1 and 99, although no player on a team can wear the same number outside of the offseason. There are rules that link a player`s number to a specific range of numbers for their main position. In addition, there are rules that restrict who can handle the ball on offense: Generally, players called offensive linemen who wear numbers 50 through 79 are not allowed to handle the ball during a scrimmage game, although they are allowed to do so if they signal to the umpire that they are playing out of position for a game eligible for the tackle. Many NFL teams have retired certain numbers in honor of the team`s best players. Generally, if a number is retired, future players on the team are not allowed to wear it. The NFL officially discourages (but does not prevent) teams from retiring numbers, as the limited number of uniform numbers available for each position may be exhausted.
Some teams will hold official «number retirement» ceremonies, others will have «unofficially» retired numbers by simply not issuing them. For teams that don`t retire uniform numbers, they often honor players in other ways, such as team Hall of Fame or similar. If a player wants to change their jersey number for the 2021 season, it will cost them: Under current NFL jersey manufacturing rules, a player must purchase the existing contingent of jerseys with their current number. In the XFL, NFL numbering conventions were followed, with one minor exception that wide receivers are allowed to carry single-digit numbers (i.e. 1-9); The NFL itself added this allocation starting in 2021. While COVID-19 changed roster rules in 2020 to accommodate expanding practice rosters, restrictions on numbering caused a problem for the Chiefs and several other NFL teams, leading to the proposal that owners approved in early 2021. Brady is referring to safety Donovan Wilson (who went from No. 37 to No.
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.