Why Don’t NFL Quarterbacks Wear Jerseys With Numbers Above 19?

While the NFL is the ultimate team sport, at the end of the day, a team’s success is defined by its quarterback. Quarterbacking is one of the hardest skills across professional skills as they need to read defenses on the fly, make adjustments and audibles based on those reads, and then find the perfect pass for their receivers. Factor in the talent they need to throw the ball perfectly, often in the face of pressure, and you can quickly see how hard their jobs are.

When it comes to jersey numbers, quarterbacks wear numbers from 0 to 19, but not anything beyond. Why is that? As per NFL rules, a quarterback can only wear jersey numbers in that range and nothing else. The league has standardized jersey numbers to aid officials, fans, and broadcasters in getting a better feel of what is happening on the field.

Officials require clarity on which players are eligible to receive passes on offense and their positioning. By assigning offensive linemen numbers within a specific range (50 to 79), a straightforward system is established, enabling officials to quickly identify eligible receivers. Additionally, players also benefit from this. They can use jersey numbers to recognize the positions and assignments of opposing players.

The rules are different for college football, however. Quarterbacks are allowed to wear any number, but they typically follow the same numbers as NFL quarterbacks do.

In the Canadian Football League, the rules are less restrictive too. Quarterbacks can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. It may seem weird to see a quarterback wearing something like 51, but that’s because we’re so used to seeing NFL quarterbacks don only a small range.

The NFL has jersey number requirements for all their positions. The rules were standardized from 1973 to 2020, but from the 2021 season, the rules were tweaked to allow more numbers across positions, and from 2023, players are allowed to wear 0 as well.

Jersey Numbers Across The NFL

Each position group in the NFL has their own assigned jersey numbers:

• Quarterbacks: 0 to 19
• RBs/WRs/TEs: 0 to 49, 80 to 89
• OL: 50 to 79
• DL: 50 to 79, 90 to 99
• LB: 0 to 59, 90 to 99
• DB: 0 to 49
• K/P: 0 to 49, 90 to 99

Some of these jersey numbers are definitely unique, and most players still stick to the traditional jersey numbers that their positions used to wear over the years.

For example, Ravens defensive end/linebacker Jadeveon Clowney wore the number 24 this season which had fans in all kinds of disbelief.

When the rules were changed in 2021, many fans complained that defenses would have competitive advantages by wearing different numbers, making them hard to identify.

After the NFL approved players wearing 0 this year, many stars decided to switch over. Roquan Smith, Calvin Ridley, Tee Higgins, and D’Andre Swift all sport 0.