Chapter 687: The Jersey Number
A jersey number is crucial for every player. Many times, in the early stages of their professional career, for rookies, sophomores, or newcomers after a trade, coaches on the field will call out their jersey number instead of their name.
In a sense, a jersey number is the player's identity. That's why every team in professional sports has retired numbers to show respect and admiration for a specific player.
Despite this, changing jersey numbers in professional sports is a common occurrence, even more frequent than one might think. It's a high-probability event for traded players and rookies who join a new team. Only a few top-tier players have the privilege of keeping their numbers, making their number a part of their career.
It can also be said that in the commercial world of professional sports, a jersey number is just another part of the profits.
In fact, even a legendary player like Joe Montana had changed his jersey number. During his time with the San Francisco 49ers, his number was sixteen. In the twilight of his career, after he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, his number was changed to nineteen. However, when the San Francisco 49ers retired his jersey, they officially retired number sixteen, which became the symbol of Montana in this city.
In the league, some players have a superstitious obsession with jersey numbers, firmly believing that a certain number can bring good luck to their careers. Or maybe a specific number has a special meaning to them, commemorating certain people or events.
So, after a trade, they are willing to trade numbers. Some do it by building good relationships, while others simply use cash transactions. Of course, not every number owner is willing to agree to a trade.
Locker room conflicts caused by jersey numbers are not uncommon.
It's worth mentioning that in football, due to the large number of players, the complexity of positions, and the clear division of labor, the league has specific regulations for jersey numbers.
First, the number zero has been retired.
Second, numbers one to nine are only allowed to be chosen by quarterbacks, placekickers, and punters.
Numbers ten to nineteen are only allowed to be chosen by quarterbacks, placekickers, punters, and wide receivers.
Numbers twenty to thirty-nine are only allowed to be chosen by running backs and defensive backs (secondary defense).
Numbers forty to forty-nine are only allowed to be chosen by running backs, defensive backs, linebackers, and tight ends.
Numbers fifty to fifty-nine are only allowed to be chosen by linebackers, defensive linemen, and centers.
Numbers sixty to seventy-nine are only allowed to be chosen by offensive linemen and defensive linemen.
Numbers eighty to eighty-nine are only allowed to be chosen by wide receivers and tight ends.
Numbers ninety to ninety-nine are only allowed to be chosen by linebackers and defensive linemen.
In other words, a player's position determines their number.
This isn't a strict rule, but a customary one. If a player insists on breaking the rules and choosing an unconventional number, it's allowed. Correspondingly, the league also has a strict rule that players who choose numbers fifty to seventy-nine and ninety to ninety-nine must declare their specific position on the field in advance.
The reason for this rule is that referees on the field must use the jersey number to determine whether an offense or defense is illegal. Also, for commentators, they can immediately determine the position on the field just by reading the jersey number, which makes it easier and faster to understand the entire field and the matchup during the game.
Overall, all players in the league still choose their numbers according to this customary plan.
Logan Newman, tight end, number eighty-eight.
Marcus Lynch, running back, number twenty-seven.
In addition, quarterbacks are only allowed to choose numbers from one to nineteen.
Peyton Manning, number eighteen. Tom Brady, number twelve. Aaron Rodgers, number twelve. Drew Brees, number nine. In addition, Alex Smith, number eleven.
When Lu Ke joined the team, his chosen number overlapped with Alex's. As an undrafted rookie and a backup player, Lu Ke naturally had no right to challenge Alex, so he naturally changed his number to fourteen.
Leigh only said one sentence, and the main content that followed wasn't even said yet, but Lu Ke already understood. "Alex has been successfully traded?"
At the end of the regular season, Alex had already said goodbye to Lu Ke in advance. Lu Ke knew that this day would come sooner or later. He just didn't expect it to be so soon.
According to the normal process, after the Super Bowl, the league's entire offseason plan has an official timeline:
March 14, the free agency market officially opens. Late April, the draft. Early August, the Hall of Fame preseason game, which marks the official start of the new season. The first week of September, the new regular season kicks off.
Different teams have different offseason plans. Some teams can't wait to complete a trade on the first day of free agency. Some players take their time and don't enter the free agency market to fill their needs until after the draft. Of course, trade and contract extension rumors are always flying around throughout the offseason, becoming a beautiful sight in the league.
After the free agency market opened this year, the biggest news was undoubtedly Peyton Manning's trade.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, who was suffering from a neck injury, had to undergo surgery and missed an entire season. He even took a pay cut to show his willingness to play for the Colts for life. Before the 2011 season, a large number of loyal fans still believed that the Colts, without Manning, could still maintain an average level in the league and even make it to the playoffs.
But thirteen consecutive losses were a heavy blow, making the Colts understand what Manning truly meant.
Since the 2009 season, the Colts had been in a gradual decline, but Manning had single-handedly supported the team. He had used one victory after another to cover up all the problems and proved his ability as an elite quarterback, making people mistakenly believe that this was still a championship team. It wasn't until now that the problems were completely exposed.
The Colts realized the seriousness of the problem and the importance of a complete rebuild.
The aging Manning became a pawn that had to be sacrificed in the game of commercial interests. The team didn't believe that Manning, after his serious injury, could represent the future of the team. In this year's draft, they had already chosen the cornerstone of the team for the next decade even before the rookie training camp started, just like they had seen Manning in 1998.
After the playoffs ended, the Colts had already begun a major team cleaning and gave Manning an ultimatum in early March. They didn't give Manning any other options.
Historically, Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Sonny Jurgensen, Joe Montana, and Brett Favre had all been traded to different teams. But they had one thing in common: they had dedicated their lives to their original teams and only joined other teams in the twilight of their careers to extend their playing years after they had nothing left to give.
The most direct proof of this is that in the history of the league, there hasn't been a single quarterback who has won a Super Bowl championship with different teams.
The thirty-five-year-old Manning had also entered the twilight of his career, but he was abandoned by his team because of a season-long injury and was replaced by a rookie who hadn't even entered the professional league yet. This was a first in history.
Business is business, and profits are profits.
After the free agency market opened, it was no exaggeration to say that half of the teams in the league extended an olive branch to Manning, including the San Francisco 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers, who had achieved brilliant results last season, enthusiastically invited Manning to join.
First, they had a long history and tradition of great quarterbacks. Second, their offense and defense had gradually grown in strength. With just a top-tier quarterback, they would be the strongest team on paper. Third, Lu Ke was a rookie quarterback, and Manning could be the most perfect mentor.
But in the end, Manning rejected the San Francisco 49ers, just as he had rejected the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks.
Because his brother Eli Manning was in the NFC, to avoid playing against each other, Manning rejected all invitations from NFC teams, just as Eli had rejected the San Diego Chargers back in the day. For the same reason, Manning knew that he would become an opponent of the Colts but didn't want to become an enemy of the Colts, so he also rejected offers from the AFC South.
The Denver Broncos quietly announced that after cutting "the Chosen One" Tim Tebow, they welcomed Peyton Manning.
Because of Manning's presence, the entire free agency market seemed a lot less exciting. Alex Smith, the former first overall pick, didn't get much attention for his trade, and it happened quietly.
Leigh nodded in affirmation. "The Kansas City Chiefs."
As one of the traditional powerhouses of the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs didn't have dominant strength, but they could always stir up the league's landscape unintentionally. They even won a Super Bowl championship in 1969. But now, this team had problems from its offense to its defense. Even with a complete rebuild, it wouldn't be easy.
The only thing that could be said for sure was that the three quarterbacks on the Chiefs now were all below average. After Alex went to Kansas City, he would undoubtedly be the starting quarterback.
"Now, the number eleven jersey is vacant. Trent specifically called me. If you want to change your number, the team has no problem with it, and they can produce new jerseys immediately."
This was one of the main reasons why Leigh came to the training field today.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!