Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy wore No. 4 during his three-year career at Alabama, the same number he wore at Deerfield Beach while playing high school football in Florida.
When he was drafted by the Broncos in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, the league did not allow WRs to wear single-digit numbers. That forced Jeudy to switch to No. 10, the number he was worn through three seasons as a pro.
Two years ago, the NFL changed its number rules to allow more players to wear single-digit numbers, but there’s a catch. Players who change their number have to buy out the NFL’s existing inventory of jerseys with their old number. So if Jeudy switched to No. 4, he would have to pay the NFL for his unsold No. 10 jerseys.
That is what’s preventing Jeudy from switching back to No. 4.
“I want that #4 back so bad 😩” Jeudy tweeted earlier this week. “But I ain’t paying.”
I want that #4 back so bad 😩
But I ain’t paying— Jerry Jeudy⁴ (@jerryjeudy) April 16, 2023
Jeudy should probably reach out to Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who found a workaround to avoid paying the $1.5 million in unsold jersey inventory when he changed his number last offseason.
“I don’t have to pay that [$1.5 million],” Cook told TMZ Sports last year. “I had to wait. I just had to wait.”
Whatever process Cook went through — such as letting the NFL know a year early before switching — might be able to work for Jeudy as well.
Eventually, Jeudy would like to return to wearing No. 4.
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