Stop retiring jersey numbers...not enough to go around

[JT45242]

The Abdul Carter picking a jersey number is just another episode in football's bad habit of retiring jersey numbers.

With 53 man regular season rosters plus another dozen or so practice squad players who need numbers in case they get activated and 90 players on preseason rosters there are simply not enough numbers to go around.

Add the complications of certain numbers that must be worn by players eligible to touch the ball.

There aren't enough numbers available.

Teams should have rings of honor or team Hall of Fame that show the name with jersey number. But the number needs to be still available.

Football is unlike any other sport in that more than half of the available numbers MUST be used

When, not if, the NFL expands to 18 games rosters will likely increase again to 53 active out of 58. Plus the practice squad.

Honor your players. But do not take numbers out of circulation.

[Drum]

1. Um

(maybe especially fifth-round draft-picks who are your son)

[viva la]

2. They'll need to

Go to decimals soon.

[True Dough]

4. Or triple digits!

[Auggie]

3. The Raiders, Cowboys and Falcons traditionally do not retire numbers

I agree. It's not unprecedented to un-retire a number, btw.

FYI (List of retired numbers): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_retired_numbers

[ProfessorGAC]

5. The Bears Quit Doing It

After they retired the 14th number, they said that was the last one.
And, there's a couple of "iffy" retired numbers on their list.
Piccolo & Galimore got their numbers retired because they died young, but their on-field accomplishments didn't necessarily merit that status.
The other 12 are justifiable, but 12 still seems like too many.
Halas, Payton & Butkus I get.
But, Ditka & Hewitt only played 5 years in Chicago. George McAfee & Red Grange only 6.
The Bears got carried away passing out that honor.