For 50 years, you could spot an NFL player’s position by glancing at his jersey number. The 70s meant lineman. Single digits meant quarterback or kicker. The 80s meant receiver. That system, built in 1973 finally cracked open in 2021 and 2023, and now a wide receiver can wear #1, a linebacker can wear #0, and a cornerback can rock single digits like he’s still in college.
Here’s exactly what every position is allowed to wear in 2026.
NFL Jersey Number Rules by Position (2026)
| Position | Allowed Numbers |
|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 0–19 |
| Kickers / Punters | 0–49, 90–99 |
| Wide Receivers | 0–49, 80–89 |
| Running Backs | 0–49, 80–89 |
| Tight Ends | 0–49, 80–89 |
| Fullbacks / H-Backs | 0–49, 80–89 |
| Defensive Backs | 0–49 |
| Linebackers | 0–59, 90–99 |
| Offensive Linemen | 50–79 |
| Defensive Linemen | 50–79, 90–99 |
Updated to reflect 2021 and 2023 rule changes. #0 is now legal for all positions except offensive line.
The one rule that hasn’t budged: offensive linemen still must wear 50–79, because the eligible-receiver rule depends on it. When you hear “Number 71 has reported as eligible” before a goal-line snap, that’s the 50–79 rule in action.
What Changed and Why
The original 1973 system locked every position into a tight range. It worked for 48 years until COVID-era roster expansions left some teams literally unable to fit their depth charts into the available numbers. The Kansas City Chiefs proposed an expansion in 2021, owners approved it, and skill players got access to 1–49 overnight.
Two years later, the Philadelphia Eagles pushed through a second change: number 0 became legal for the first time since 1973, and kickers and punters got the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 90s to ease the squeeze in the single digits. Tom Brady publicly hated both changes. He was outvoted.
The first wave of switchers was almost entirely defensive backs. Patrick Peterson grabbed #7 the day the rule passed. Jalen Ramsey took #5. Jaycee Horn took #8 in honor of Kobe Bryant. Roquan Smith claimed #0 the moment it was legal. Players were paying real money to switch — the league required them to buy out the existing inventory of their old jerseys, and stars like Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb famously paid for vacations and even a BMW to convince teammates to give up the digits they wanted.
Position Changes
Players keep their original number when they switch positions, with one exception: moving from an eligible-receiver position to the offensive line forces a switch into the 50–79 range. The reverse is allowed — Devin Hester was drafted as a cornerback wearing #23 and kept the number when he moved to wide receiver.
FAQ
Can NFL players wear #0? Yes, since 2023. Every position except offensive line can wear it.
Can NFL players wear #00? No. It’s been banned since 1973. The last player to wear it was Raiders Hall of Famer Jim Otto.
Why must offensive linemen wear 50–79? Because the eligible receiver rule depends on the visual cue. Players in 50–79 can’t catch forward passes unless they report to the referee as eligible.
Can a quarterback wear any number? No — QBs are limited to 0–19. There’s no flexibility.
Who proposed the rule changes? The Chiefs proposed the 2021 expansion. The Eagles proposed the 2023 #0 rule and the kicker/punter expansion.
The 2021 and 2023 changes broke 50 years of tradition, but they also brought the NFL closer to how college football has always worked. For purists, the loss of “spot the position by the number” stings. For everyone else, it’s a small price to let Ja’Marr Chase wear #1.