NFL owners approve significant change to jersey numbers for 2023-24 season

NFL players have a new number they can wear. The NFL owners have approved a proposal that will allow players to wear the No. 0.

“I don’t think there was any discussion, and we voted,” Falcons president/competition committee co-chair Rich McKay said.

The proposal was put forth by the Philadelphia Eagles. It is the second major change to roster numbers in the past three seasons after the NFL owners relaxed jersey number designations ahead of the 2021 season.

All non-lineman will be eligible to wear the No. 0.

“This is one thing that could help us in that challenge, because we do have some players that tend to like the single digit,” McKay said. “Numbers are more problematic than they’ve ever been, so this one had very little pushback.”

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley has already announced he will wear No. 0 for this upcoming season.

Another part of the rule will see punters and kickers have more flexibility with their uniform numbers as well. Prior to the rule, kickers and punters were only allowed to have numbers between 1 and 19. Now, not only is the No. 0 allowed, but the range has opened up tremendously.

Punters and kickers can wear any number between 0 and 49 as well as any number in the 90s.

College football players have been able to wear the No. 0 starting with the 2020 season.

Here’s the full proposal that owners approved, allowing any player to wear Number Zero except offensive and defensive linemen.

Also, punters and placekickers can now wear numbers 0-49 and 90-99. CC: @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/7cqNoUBN1G

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 28, 2023

NFL players wore No. 0 in previous eras

Before NFL uniform standardization in the 1970s, players were allowed to wear both No. 0 and No. 00.

The players who wore the number played all over the field. Pro Football Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wore double zero for over a decade with the Oakland Raiders in the 1960s and 1970s. Halfback/fullback Johnny Olszewski, the No. 4 pick in the 1953 NFL Draft, wore a single digit zero for Washington, Detroit and Denver in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Quarterback Johnny Clement wore No. 00 for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1940s.

During the 2001 preseason, Bryan Cox wore the No. 0 for the New England Patriots but switched to No. 51 when the regular season started. New England won the Super Bowl that campaign.

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