Several Vikings players could change jersey numbers if proposal passes
By Adam Carlson
Recently, the Kansas City Chiefs extended a proposal to the NFL to relax some of their rules on jersey numbers. With some teams having retired quite a few players and players hoping to continue wearing their numbers from college or high school, it makes sense that players from every team, including the Minnesota Vikings, could take advantage of this rule.
The proposal requesting a reduction in the strictness of jersey numbers is something Pro Football Talk’s Peter King believes will pass when it is voted on. A new range makes a lot of sense for several reasons, but first, let’s take a peek at the proposed ranges.
Here is the new proposed range of numbers of each position:
- QB, punter, kicker: 1-19.
- RB, TE, WR: 1-49, 80-89.
- DB: 1-49.
- LB: 1-59, 90-99.
- OL: 50-79.
- DL: 50-79, 90-99.
Why is this proposal good for teams like the Vikings
At this time, the Vikings have six players whose jersey numbers are retired. Those six are No. 10 (Fran Tarkenton), No. 53. (Mick Tingelhoff), No, 70 (Jim Marshall), No. 77 (Korey Stringer), No. 80 (Cris Carter), and No. 88 (Alan Page). This eliminates those numbers immediately.
Since the NFL has expanded rosters for the preseason and has a large number of players with retired jerseys, having more numbers available for players would be a great benefit for rosters hoping not to double up on numbers for training camp.
In addition, any time a star player changes their jersey number or a team’s jersey design changes, odds are that the updated team gear will result in an uptick in merchandise sales and an increase in NFL revenue.
As of now, it’s not clear which Minnesota Vikings would want to change their jersey numbers if this proposal passes, but having the option to do so should be appealing to many players and as well as fans who follow certain players from the college game to the NFL level.