Over the last couple of years, wide receiver Deebo Samuel has become a star for the San Francisco 49ers, and he has made them into one of the NFL’s truly elite teams.
He wears No. 19, but he said on Twitter that he wishes the league would allow him to switch to No. 1 without having to pay a pretty penny.
I really want #1 but the @NFL want me to pay wayyyy toooo muchhhh money for it 🤷🏾♂️
— Deebo (@19problemz) March 28, 2023
Per league rules, if a player wants to switch his jersey number, he has to first “buy out the existing inventory of uniforms,” according to Sporting News.
For decades, only quarterbacks, punters, and kickers were allowed to wear jersey numbers under 20, but starting in the 2021 season, the NFL allowed wideouts to wear any number from 1-49, as well as the classic range of 80-89.
When Samuel played his college ball at the University of South Carolina, he wore No. 1, which could presumably be why he wants to switch to that number.
He was the 36th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and as a rookie, he put up 802 yards and three touchdowns while helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl, where they blew a late lead and lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
After an injury-riddled 2020 campaign, Samuel exploded in 2021 with 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns while earning both Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team honors.
He also demonstrated his versatility by sometimes lining up as a running back and tallying 365 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground that year.
Samuel’s numbers fell significantly in 2022 after getting a lucrative contract extension, and he will need to up his production again if San Francisco is to win a sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy next season.
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