When the Minnesota Vikings announced the jersey numbers for the team’s recently drafted players, fans were quick to scream foul at one of the choices.
There have been many great players to suit up for the Minnesota Vikings over the course of franchise history. Some of those individuals have gone on to set team records or even end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The jersey numbers some of these Vikings legends have come to mean a lot to fans…and it can be unsettling to see players wearing those numbers not live up to the stands that have been set by the legendary Minnesota players.
Recently, the team announced the jersey numbers of the players selected during the 2019 NFL Draft on their official Instagram account and there are a few familiar numbers in the mix.
A quick look at the comments and it’s obvious what fans want. The outcry for the number 84 jersey to be retired instead of given to rookie tight end Irv Smith Jr. is quite overwhelming, which isn’t a surprise considering the love the fan base has for Randy Moss.
However, it should also be noted that 84 isn’t the only number from this draft class which belongs to a Pro Football Hall of Famer from the Vikings.
Older fans or historians of the team will remember more examples of this phenomenon in the draft class. Defensive end Chris Doleman wore the number 56 during his time in Minnesota and his number was not retired either. However, it will be going to first-round draft pick Garrett Bradbury.
In addition, the number 73 jersey formerly worn by Hall of Famer Ron Yary will be worn by offensive lineman Dru Samia. Plus, the number 81 jersey worn by Carl Eller will be worn by Olabisi Johson.*
There are plenty of Hall of Famers who wore the purple and gold who haven’t had their jerseys retired. Here are some examples of players who had long careers with the Vikings and should also be in the conversation for jersey retirement:
- #22 – Paul Krause (worn by Harrison Smith)
- #64 – Randall McDaniel (worn by Josh Kline)
- #65 – Gary Zimmerman (worn by Pat Elflein)
- #93 – John Randle (worn by Shamar Stephen)
A young player wearing the number of a Minnesota Vikings legend isn’t a bad thing. Situations like Kevin Williams wearing 93 and Harrison Smith wearing 22 have worked out quite well so far, and there is nothing wrong with two players making a big impact while wearing the same number at different times.
The only real question remaining is whether or not the Minnesota Vikings have any plans to retire any of those numbers eventually. Right now, it doesn’t look as though that is the case…but you never know…maybe one day the team will be retiring the number 84 jersey for Irv Smith Jr.
*Updated 5/5 to include #81 to the list