In the NFL, a jersey number isn’t just a source of identification. It can also be a symbol of a player’s on-field identity .
With helmets covering the faces of playmakers , a jersey number can serve as a calling card that reveals something beyond a position group or a team-issued assignment. As the NFL has eased its jersey number restrictions over the past few years — from allowing skill players to wear a wide variety of numbers to introducing the use of the No. 0 — players have embraced the ability to express themselves with the use of the digits draped across their chests.
In the Carolina Panthers’ locker room , there are several new faces , and thus new number assignments. And while some of those jersey numbers are still purely assigned digits, others have hidden meanings that reveal aspects of the personalities of those who wear them.
As the Panthers prepare to play in their home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, The Observer went around the locker room to find the most interesting stories related to their jersey numbers.
Miles Sanders honors friend’s memory
Running back Miles Sanders wore the No. 4 in high school. He wore No. 24 at Penn State before rocking No. 26 with the Philadelphia Eagles during the first four seasons of his NFL career.
When he signed a four-year, $25.4 million deal with Carolina last year in free agency, those numbers weren’t available. So, the veteran running back decided to honor a friend who passed away with a new number on his chest.
Sanders’ childhood friend, Jeremiah Jones, was shot and killed in 2017 at the age of 19. Jones was Sanders’ quarterback at Woodland Hills High School in Churchill, Pennsylvania.
Jones wore the No. 6 and his friends and family called him “ Sixxy ” in reference to his jersey number. With No. 6 available in Carolina, Sanders made the move to pay tribute to his friend.
“It means a lot to me,” Sanders told The Observer. “Just cause that was one of those guys — wanted to go D-I together, go to the league together, been to certain camps together and always hung around together — so that one kind of hit a little (close to) home. … I do have a lot of friends that passed away from my neighborhood, but he’s one of the ones that hit home, hit hard because we shared a different type of bond, and friendship, and brotherhood, with football.”
While adversity has hit Sanders on the field since his arrival in Charlotte, he has a reminder of his childhood friend to give him perspective to lean on. He thinks about Jones every time he looks at that No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker.
“Always,” Sanders said. “I’ve got it on my chest nonstop. When I first announced it, his family reached out to me, and they said, ‘thank you.’ They knew exactly why I picked the number.”
Ja’Tavion Sanders earns his swagger
Rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was on a mission this summer. While he wanted to prove himself to his teammates and coaches in training camp, in the back of his mind, he was also thinking about the No. 0.
Sanders, the team’s fourth-round pick, wore zero during his final two seasons with the Texas Longhorns. And immediately after he was drafted by the Panthers, he stated he wanted to get the number back after it was vacated by the March trade of Brian Burns to the New York Giants.
While No. 0 isn’t necessarily the most flattering number on paper, the rookie said the single-digit number symbolizes swagger.
“I’d just seen the aura,” Sanders said. “My former teammate at Texas, DeMarvion Overshown — people called him, ‘Agent 0,’ and just the swagger he had about him with that number — you don’t see too many people with the No. 0 and dominating like that. My freshman year, just seeing that, it made me want to have that swagger to me, myself. So, when I got the number my sophomore year, I had to turn it up and take it to the next level.”
In the Gen Z age of the NFL, single-digit numbers have become highly sought after, especially by playmakers. As an NFL rookie, Sanders was never going to get first dibs, but he was eager to earn the number after sporting No. 85 throughout the offseason.
“I knew getting the number zero in the NFL wasn’t going to be easy,” Sanders said. “I knew I was going to have to work for it. (Expletive) don’t come easy here. And that was one of my main things — that was something that made me go harder — if you know what I’m saying? Knowing that I could be able to earn the number zero, and have my swagger back to me.”
Sanders put together a strong training camp and made some plays in the preseason. The coaching staff also complimented his growth as a blocker in the run game.
So, after a good first impression, head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan decided to reward the rookie. Following camp, the leadership duo had him coming into Morgan’s office for a chat about Sanders’ desired digits.
“Dan called me into his office after practice and he was like, ‘Man, you’ve had a great camp, you’ve come in, day and day out,’ and he was like, ‘You earned it,’” said Sanders about the conversation that led to his jersey swap. “He didn’t really have to say too much.”
Ickey Ekwonu’s Providence Day career remembered
Left tackle Ickey Ekwonu has worn the No. 79 since his sophomore year at Providence Day in Charlotte. While the number seems a bit obscure, the meaning behind it is something Ekwonu still thinks about today, as even as a three-year pro in the NFL.
“It was passed down to me by a senior when I was a freshman (in high school),” Ekwonu said. “His name was Eric Cal. He had No. 79. He wound up playing D-I football, and that was my first glance at what it took to play D-I football — was like watching him in practice and watching him play. And then when he graduated, he told me he wanted me to take his number and that was (No.) 79, so I’ve had that ever since.”
Cal, a Waxhaw native, played at Navy following his high school career at Providence Day.
Ekwonu, who also wore No. 79 at N.C. State, has kept in touch with his former teammate and mentor, and the number they share is highlighted on NFL Sundays.
Diontae Johnson finds grace
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson entered the league before wide receivers could wear single-digit numbers. He wore No. 18 in Pittsburgh as he made a Pro Bowl in 2021 during his five years with the Steelers.
But when he got traded to the Panthers in March, Johnson wanted to make a change that reflected both his past and his faith.
“It’s for grace,” Johnson said, referring to the number’s meaning in The Bible.
The No. 5 has been with Johnson for a while, as the veteran receiver said he wore it in Little League. While he wore the No. 3 at the University of Toledo during his college career, the reunion with No. 5 has been on Johnson’s mind for a while.
It’s a symbol of his spiritualism and religious beliefs.
“It’s just a number I have always been looking forward to wearing it, and now I get the opportunity to wear it,” Johnson said. “And … when I’m out there I just feel like I’m covered in the blood of Jesus at all times. So that’s why I wear it.”
Xavier Legette’s brother knows best
First-round pick Xavier Legette had a similar idea to Johnson when he arrived in Charlotte in the spring following the draft. Legette, who wore No. 17 at South Carolina, had his eye on the No. 2.
He wanted to switch things up, but his brother convinced him otherwise.
“I was really shooting to get (No.) 2, but I called my brother and I let him choose for me,” Legette said with a big smile in May.
After some convincing from his sibling, Legette stuck with his familiar No. 17. If his brother hadn’t stepped in, Legette would be catching passes in a single-digit jersey.
“He told me to stay with (No.) 17, so I took it.” Legette said. “He said, ‘Let’s just stay with the same college number.’”
Legette made his NFL debut in the double digits, producing four catches for 35 yards on seven targets in his first regular-season game against the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers are hoping that production continues as No. 17 develops within Canales’ offense.
Mike Jackson pays tribute to his son
When the Panthers acquired cornerback Mike Jackson in a trade during the final week of the preseason, the long, lanky defensive back was given No. 28, the number that he wore at the University of Miami.
Jackson, who spent the previous three years with the Seattle Seahawks, had also worn No. 30 and No. 45 during his previous stops in the league. But following the cut-down deadline in August, Jackson wanted to commemorate his new surroundings with a new number that served a double meaning.
He chose No. 2.
“Second chances, and I call my son, ‘Two Time,’” Jackson said Monday.
His son’s nickname stems from the most productive game of Jackson’s college career. During the week that he found out he was having his little boy — Michael Jr. — Jackson had an epic two-interception performance against Syracuse and QB Eric Dungey.
On Oct. 21, 2017, Jackson made life miserable for Dungey , and he also alluded to his impending fatherhood.
“So, I found out I was having a boy on Monday (during the week) against Syracuse,” Jackson said. “I went and caught a pick, and then I rocked a baby (with the ball in celebration), and then everybody knew I was having a boy. And then I caught a second (interception), so I looked at the camera and said ‘Two Time,’ and that’s how I came up with the nickname.”
So, as it turns out, it was a good thing that Legette’s brother prevented him from taking No. 2 after the draft. It allowed Jackson to create a special nod to his son, an ode that they can share together as the little guy watches his father on game days.
Bryce Young, Chuba Hubbard and others have short but sweet reasons
Sometimes, a jersey number’s story is simply based on a matter-of-fact decision. Here are some quick-hit backstories behind the digits you’ll see on the field Sunday:
▪ QB Bryce Young and Andy Dalton both wear No. 9 and No. 14, respectively, because those were their father’s numbers. Both have worn their respective numbers throughout their lives. LS JJ Jansen also wears No. 44 because that was his dad’s number.
▪ RB Chuba Hubbard was given the No. 30 early in his life, and he has worn the same digits throughout his football career, including during his run at Oklahoma State. OLB Jadeveon Clowney wore No. 7 in high school and at South Carolina, and with him coming back to his hometown team, he wanted to bring it back, with ILB Shaq Thompson switching back to his previous No. 54.
▪ DE A’Shawn Robinson wanted to get No. 91 when he arrived in Carolina, but fellow lineman Nick Thurman refused to part with it. So, Robinson went with No. 94, the number he wore with the Los Angeles Rams when he won Super Bowl LVI.
▪ Thurman, who turned down Robinson’s offers to buy No. 91 from him, chose the number for two reasons. He said nine plus one equals 10, which he views as “completion.” He also noted that growing up, there weren’t a lot of interior linemen — outside of Eagles great Fletcher Cox — who wore the number, so he wanted to make it his own after wearing it in college.
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