San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel will wear the No. 1 jersey in 2024.
Samuel, who has worn No. 19 throughout his NFL career, announced on social media that his jersey will be No. 1 this season. Samuel (whose full legal name is Tyshun Raequan Samuel) will also change his nameplate to “Samuel Sr.” He’s the father of Tyshun Jr.
Several players have changed their jerseys to single-digit numbers since the NFL relaxed its uniform policies to allow more players to wear single digits. For many years, single-digit numbers were the domain only of quarterbacks, kickers and punters, but now every position except linemen can wear single digits.
Samuel wore No. 1 in college at South Carolina, but when he entered the NFL, wide receivers couldn’t wear single-digit jersey numbers. In 2021, when the NFL relaxed its jersey number rules, Samuel and safety Jimmie Ward both wanted No. 1, but Ward had priority because he had been with the 49ers longer. Ward left in free agency a year ago and no one wore No. 1 on the 49ers in 2023.
Players who request an immediate number change are required to buy any unsold inventory of their jerseys, which can be quite expensive for popular players like Samuel, whose No. 19 jersey is available at stores across the country. But if Samuel informed the league a year ago when Ward left that he wanted the number, then it won’t cost anything, as the league allows players to freely change numbers if they make the request a year in advance, giving the league’s apparel arm time to adjust its inventory accordingly.
Fans with Samuel No. 19 jerseys may not be happy about the switch, but Samuel No. 1 jerseys will soon be a hot seller.
