It’s zero hour in the NFL.
The league’s owners voted Tuesday to allow players to wear jersey No. 0 for the first time.
“I don’t think there was any discussion, and we voted. As someone who works for a team, we have real challenges in the number world right now,” Atlanta Falcons CEO and NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay said, per ESPN.
“This is one thing that could help us in that challenge, because we do have some players that tend to like the single digit. Numbers are more problematic than they’ve ever been, so this one had very little pushback.”
The Philadelphia Eagles were the team to make the official proposal. Offensive linemen are still only allowed to wear Nos. 50-79 and defensive linemen can wear 50-79 or 90-99, but all other positions now have No. 0 as an option.
It didn’t take long for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley to announce he was changing to No. 0.
“Excited to be the first @Jaguars player to wear zero — shout out to @JagsEquip!” tweeted Ridley, who will make his team debut in 2023 after being traded last fall amid a season-long suspension for gambling on football.
Excited to be the first @Jaguars player to wear zero – shout out to @JagsEquip! #ReadyToWork pic.twitter.com/MfympKGWSl
— CALVIN RIDLEY (@CalvinRidley1) March 28, 2023
Several NFL teams also proposed that the league switch to one single preseason roster reduction date, as opposed to two, and that rule change also passed Tuesday.
The use of Guardian Caps on top of players’ helmets was also expanded to include running backs and fullbacks on top of linebackers, tight ends and linemen on both sides of the ball — and to include in-season contact practices instead of just the preseason.
The league also voted to expand instant replay for greater review on failed fourth-down attempts, proposed by the Houston Texans.
–Field Level Media
