Before the Tennessee Titans called Nashville home, they were the Houston Oilers—a team for which Warren Moon starred for 10 years. The QB, who made the No. 1 famous in H-Town, made six of his nine Pro Bowls for the Oilers, with one second-team All-Pro nod and the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in 1990.
Moon had already moved on to his third NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks, when the Oilers made their move to Tennessee, but his No. 1 is retired by the franchise all the same, even though most of those who remember his Houston years are now likely Houston Texans fans. It makes sense that Moon would be open to another player carving out his own Titans legacy wearing the No. 1—namely, Tennessee's presumptive No. 1 pick Cam Ward, who wore the number for both Washington State and Miami.
“I’m thinking about it,” Moon told Titans insider Paul Kuharsky, when asked about the potential for Ward to wear the No. 1.
As Kuharsky notes, the "unretirement" of a number is not unprecedented; the New York Giants did it just last year, giving the No. 1 to Malik Nabors with the blessing of the family of Hall of Famer Ray Flaherty, the first man in pro football to have his jersey retired. Denver Broncos great Frank Tripucka allowed Peyton Manning to wear his No. 18 during his stint in the MIle High City.
Some sports programs and franchises opt to retire "jerseys" rather than "numbers," circumventing the issue altogether, though having a jersey number taken completely out of the rotation because a player is so special to a franchise is obviously a next-level honor.
For his part, Ward doesn't sound too concerned about it. He wore No. 7 at Incarnate Ward, the FCS program at which he began his college career, switching to No. 1 at Washington State because No. 7 wasn't available. He's grown attached to his new number, though, opting to keep it at Miami. Tennessee does not currently have a player wearing No. 7 on the roster.
In an interview with TikToker Brayden Zaroff, Ward said that he's hoping to hang on to No. 1, but that he'll switch numbers if need be.
This TikToker interviewed Cam Ward and the future #Titans QB dropped some great advice that is worth hearing.
— SharmSports (@SharmSports_NFL) April 23, 2025
Great football player, but an even better person 🔥 #TitanUp
(🎥 Zaroff on TikTok) pic.twitter.com/yqecCZsrk9
The Titans' decision to hang on to the Oilers' franchise history, despite the fact that the Texans began play just five years after they left Houston, has been a controversial one, especially with Tennessee's decision to use throwback versions of the beloved Oilers jersey that Moon wore during his impressive stint. If Ward was looking to wear Steve McNair's No. 9, this would probably be a nonstarter, but the Houston/Tennessee situation makes it a far more nuanced decision.
If Moon is O.K. with it, however, the Titans should follow suit.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Legend Might Be Up for Letting Cam Ward Wear No. 1 If Selected By Titans.
