According to a report from The Athletic, the Philadelphia Eagles have submitted a proposal to the NFL’s competition committee to allow players to wear the No. 0.
The Eagles cited the lack of available numbers in the single digits, as the No. 5 is retired for former quarterback Donovan McNabb, while Nos. 1-8 are currently in use after the league relaxed its restrictions in 2021, allowing running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, linebackers and defensive backs to wear those numbers.
The last player in the NFL to wear the No. 0 was former New Orleans Saints safety Obert Logan in 1967, while former Houston Oilers wide receiver Ken Burrough (1970-81) was the last to wear the No. 00, as he and former Oakland Raiders center Jim Otto (1960-74) were grandfathered in after the league introduced a jersey numbering system in 1973.
To our knowledge, the last time a player requested to wear the No. 00 was when center LeCharles Bentley signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2006. He even wore a jersey with the number during his introductory press conference, but his request was ultimately denied by the NFL. It’s worth noting the current proposal is only for the No. 0, not the No. 00.
If the competition committee approves the proposal, the NFL will fall in line with the NCAA, which has allowed players to wear the No. 0 since 2020. That change was the result of the increasing popularity in single-digit numbers, as well as the prevalence of an offensive and a defensive player wearing the same number on the same team.
Interestingly, Philadelphia was also the team that proposed doing away with the NFL’s one-helmet rule in 2021. The Eagles were among the 13 franchises to wear a second helmet in 2022 and are set to wear a Kelly green throwback design this season after wearing a black alternate lid last fall.
The proposal is on the agenda for the competition committee’s meeting this week in Indianapolis, while a decision should be expected following the NFL owners meetings on March 26-29
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