The NFL decided at the annual owners meetings Tuesday that players will now be allowed to wear the No. 0 and one wide receiver has already announced he’ll be making the change.
New Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley almost immediately took to Twitter after the new rule regarding jersey numbers became official and said, “Excited to be the first Jaguars player to wear zero—shout out to Jags equipment!”
Ridley played the first four seasons of his career with the Falcons before he was hit with a one-year suspension in 2022 for gambling. He was since traded to Jacksonville and has been reinstated.
So, when he makes his long-awaited return, it will be in a new number and jersey.
Ridley wore No. 18 while in Atlanta and built a reputation as one of the best young wideouts in the NFL. His last full season was in 2020 when he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. He only played in five games in 2021 because he stepped away from the team that October to focus on his mental well-being—though the specific reason for his absence was never revealed.
When his suspension for the 2022 season was announced, the NFL said the gambling took place during a five-day period in late November ‘21 while Ridley was not with the Falcons.
