Teams in the National Football League (NFL) retire jersey numbers of players who either are considered by the team to have made significant contributions to that team's success, or who have experienced untimely deaths during their playing career. As with other leagues, once a team retires a player's jersey number, it never issues the number to any other player, unless the player or team explicitly allows it.

History

Since NFL teams began retiring numbers, 163 players have had their jersey number retired. The Chicago Bears and the New York Giants have the most retired numbers of the teams with 14 each.

Reggie White is the only player whose number was retired by two teams (the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles). While Peyton Manning's number is only officially retired by the Indianapolis Colts, he received an acknowledgment when the Denver Broncos re-retired the number 18, which is officially retired under the name of Frank Tripucka (Tripucka granted Manning permission to wear the number). The Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, and Las Vegas Raiders traditionally do not retire jersey numbers. The New Orleans Saints previously retired numbers, having done so for Jim Taylor and Doug Atkins, but under new ownership those numbers were unretired.Retire jerseys? Saints no. Also without a retired jersey number are the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans, though these teams are less than 30 years old: in this regard, the Texans do not retire numbers but honor player jerseys instead.

The Buffalo Bills under previous owner Ralph Wilson also did not retire jersey numbers, with the exception of Jim Kelly. This policy was reversed under Wilson's successor Terry Pegula.

Unlike Major League Baseball (which retired Jackie Robinson's number 42 in 1997), the National Hockey League (which retired Wayne Gretzky's 99 in 2000), and the National Basketball Association (which retired Bill Russell's 6 in 2022), the NFL has never retired a jersey number league-wide in honor of anyone.

The number 00 is no longer allowed, but was not retired in honor of any particular player; rather, the NFL's positional numbering system, instituted in 1973, does not allocate a position for players wearing that number. The NFL allowed 00 in the past, with Steve Bagarus, Jim Otto, and Ken Burrough being the only three players to have ever worn it. The number can be, and rarely is, used in the preseason when no other numbers for a player's position are available.

The Seattle Seahawks are the only NFL team to have retired a number for reasons other than honoring an individual player, having retired the number 12 in 1984 in honor of their fan base, who are collectively nicknamed the 12s, as they are the "twelfth man" on the field. Only one player in Seahawks history has ever donned a #12 jersey in the regular season: backup quarterback Sam Adkins, who appeared in 11 games between 1977 and 1981.

Retired numbers Pro Football Hall of Fame member Number to be retired in the future

Player Team Tenure Year retired 8 Arizona Cardinals 1960–1972 1970112004–2020 2026 40 1998–2001 2004 77 1946–1948 1948 88 1974–1978 1979991939–1943, 1946–19481948 12 Buffalo Bills 1986–1996 2001 The Times newspaper 2001-12-19, scanned and uploaded to Google News, retrieved December 6, 2011 34 1988–1999 2018Bills to retire Thurman Thomas' number 34 during Monday's game. Rochester First (October 29, 2018). Retrieved October 30, 2018. 78 1985–1999 2016Bills’ Bruce Smith to have jersey number retired at 2016 home opener. WIVB-TV (May 10, 2016). Retrieved May 10, 2016. 51 Carolina Panthers 1995–1997 2005 3 Chicago Bears 1930–1937, 1943 1949 5 1940–1941, 1945–1950 1955 7 1920–1928 28 1957–1963 34 1975–1987 1987 40 1965–1971 1994 41 1965–1969 1970 42 1939–1950 51 1965–1973 1994 56 1932–1936 1949 61 1952–1965 66 1940–1952 1963 77 1925–1934 1949 89 1961–1966 2013 54 Cincinnati Bengals 1968–1979 1978 14 Cleveland Browns 1946–1955 32 1957–1965 45 1962 1963 46 1960–1962 76 1946–1959, 1961–1967 1968 7 Denver Broncos 1983–1998 1999 18 1960–1963 1963 44 1967–1975 1984 7 Detroit Lions 1931–1932, 1934–1938 1939 20 1967–1977 2004 1989–1998 1980–1984 22 1950–1958 37 1950–1955 1955 56 1953–1965 85 1970–1971 3 Green Bay Packers 1941–1952 1952 4 1992–2007 2015 14 1935–1945 1951 15 1956–1971 1973 66 1958–1972 1983 92 1993–1998 1999"Packers retire Reggie White's jersey" , October 11, 1999 18 Indianapolis Colts 1998–2011 2017 19 1956–1972 22 1953–1955 Played for the Colts while the franchise was at Baltimore. 24 1956–1967 1968 70 1953–1961 1962 77 1957–1967 82 1955–1967 89 1953–1966 71 Jacksonville Jaguars 1995–2001 2022 3 Kansas City Chiefs 1967–1979 1992 16 1962–1975 18 1966–1978 2008 28 1960–1964 33 1963 1963 Johnson died from injuries sustained in the 1963 preseason, his rookie campaign. Stone Johnson died 50 years ago from injury in NFL game 36 1964–1965 58 1989–1999 2009 "Chiefs retire Thomas' No. 58 at half" - ESPN, December 6, 2009 63 1967–1977 1992 78 1963–1974 1984 86 1963–1975 1992 14 Los Angeles Chargers 1973–1987 1988 Played for the Chargers while the franchise was at San Diego. 18 1976–1986 2023 19 1962–1970 2005 "On a banner day for Alworth, Chargers retire jersey No. 19", The San Diego Union Tribune, November 21, 2005 21 2001–2009 2015 55 1990–2002 2012 ESPN, May 11, 2012 80 1979–1987 2023 7 Los Angeles Rams 1945–1952 1952 28 1999–2006 2007 "Rams retire Faulk's No. 28 jersey at halftime", NFL news (official), December 22, 2007 29 1983–1987 74 1962–1976 75 1961–1971 2009 "Rams retire Jones' No. 75 jersey", ESPN, September 27, 2009 78 1976–1995 1996 80 1994–2007 2010"Rams retire Isaac Bruce's number", ESPN, October 31, 2010 85 1971–1984 12 Miami Dolphins 1967–1980 1985 13 1983–1999 2000 39 1968–1974, 1979 2002 10 Minnesota Vikings 1961–1966, 1972–1978 1979 53 1962–1978 2001 70 1961–1979 1999 77 1995–2000 2001 80 1990–2001 2003 88 1967–1978 1988 12 New England Patriots 2000–2019 2024 20 1960–1970 40 1976–1982 57 1974–1987 1988 73 1973–1985 78 1987–2000 2000 79 1960–1970 89 1960–1967 1 New York Giants 1928–1935 1935 4 1936–1943 1940 7 1931–1945 1963 10 2004–2019 2021 11 1979–1993 1995 14 1937–1945 1946 1961–1964 1965 16 1952–1964 2000 32 1942–1944 1945 40 1959–1972 1973 42 1948–1961 1962 50 1936–1947 1968 56 1981–1993 1994 92 1993–2007 2021 12 New York Jets 1965–1976 1985 13 1960–1972 28 1998–2005 2012 "Curtis Martin has jersey number retired by Jets", Daynews, September 9, 2012 73 1977–1987 2004 90 1989–1992 2012 Jacket 1963–1973 5 Philadelphia Eagles 1999–2009 2013 15 1944–1951 1951 Daily Philadelphian.com , August 14, 2011 20 1996–2008 2012 40 1953–1961 1962 44 1956–1966 1965 60 1949–1962 70 1944–1951 1952 92 1985–1992 2005 "Eagles honor Reggie White, retire his jersey", ESPN, December 5, 2005 99 1987–1991 1992 "Eagles make sure no one wears 99 again" - The Morning Call, September 7, 1992 32 Pittsburgh Steelers 1972–1983 2022 70 1950–1963 1964 75 1969–1981 2014 8 San Francisco 49ers 1987–1999 2008"49ers to retire Young's #8", TSN website, September 25, 2008 12 1957–1973 1973 16 1979–1992 1997 34 1948–1960 1971 37 1961–1976 1977 39 1952–1960 1971 42 1981–1990 2003"49ers to retire Lott's jersey" - SF Gate.com, November 6, 2003 70 1959–1973 1974 73 1950–1963 1971 79 1953–1963 2001 80 1985–2000 2010"49ers retire Jerry Rice's number at half" - ESPN, September 21, 2010 87 1979–1987 1988 45 Seattle Seahawks 1981–1987 2017 71 1997–2009 2010 80 1976–1989 1992"Seahawks/NFL: Loan of No. 80 a class act by Hawks' classiest", October 22, 2004 96 1990–2000 2012 "Seahawks retire Cortez Kennedy's No. 96", King5.com , October 14, 2012"Hawks to retire Cortez Kennedy’s jersey", The News Tribune, October 11, 2012 FAN (12s) 12 1984 55 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1995–2008 2014 63 1976–1984 1986 99 1995–2003 2013 "Bucs to retire Warren Sapp's No. 99", May 2, 2013 1 Tennessee Titans 1984–1993 2006, October 6, 2010 9 1995–2005 2019 27 1996–2003 2019 34 1978–1984 1987 43 1960–1968 1968 63 1982–1993 1996 65 1968–1983 1983 74 1983–2001 2002 9 Washington Commanders 1964–1974 2022 21 2004–2007 2021 28 1983–2002 2024 33 1937–1952 1953 44 1976-1985 2026 49 1962–1968 2020 81 1980-19932025

See also List of Green Bay Packers retired numbers Los Angeles Chargers retired numbers List of San Francisco 49ers retired numbers List of NCAA football retired numbers

Notes

References