Can NFL Players Wear the Number 0?

The lowest number the ranges allow is 0 and the highest is 99. The rule is that players must wear numerals on their jerseys in accordance with the position table, and any request to wear a numeral for a special position that is not in the table must be made to the Commissioner.

Numbers are not only a label. Rule 5 says eligible pass receivers and a T-formation quarterback must wear numerals 0 to 49 or 80 to 89, and that all other numerals are worn by ineligible players unless they report a change in their position. A player wearing 0 is therefore in the eligible range, as described on the page about who the quarterback can throw to.

When a player changes position during his playing career in the NFL, and the change moves him from an ineligible position to an eligible one, or the reverse, he must be issued an appropriate new jersey numeral. A change in numeral is not required when the player moves from one ineligible position to another, or from one eligible position to another, as long as the rule's other conditions are met.

During the preseason, when playing rosters are larger, the League allows duplication and other temporary deviations from the numbering scheme, but the rule must be followed by all players during the regular season and postseason. Clubs must make numerals available to follow the rule, even if it means returning to circulation a numeral that has been retired or withheld for other reasons.

The numbering rule is short, and it covers more than the ranges. It says all players must wear numerals on their jerseys and that the numerals must follow the playing position. A request to wear a numeral for a special position that the table does not list has to be made to the Commissioner. A change of numeral is not needed when a player moves from one ineligible position to another, or from one eligible position to another, under the conditions the rule sets.

The rule also deals with the supply of numbers. Clubs must make numerals available so that the rule can be followed, even if that means putting back into circulation a numeral that has been retired or withheld for other reasons. That is why a number held out of use for a former player can return when a roster needs it. The only time the numbering scheme may be set aside is the preseason, when rosters are larger and the League allows duplication and other temporary deviations.

All of the wording comes from Rule 5 of the official NFL playing rules, 2026 edition. The page lists the ranges the rulebook gives and says nothing about which individual players have worn 0, since the rulebook does not.

The rules are reviewed each year. This page was checked against the 2026 edition. More football pages are collected on the NFL hub.