Earlier this week, the NFL introduced that the league’s house owners will quickly vote on 13 rule or bylaw adjustments that might go into impact as quickly because the 2021 season. As a part of these proposals, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs put forth a rule change that, if applied, would have a widespread impact throughout the whole NFL, on and off the sector, for gamers, followers, broadcast networks, and extra. 

How is that even doable? Effectively, the Chiefs proposed altering the league’s uniform guidelines to broaden the pool of jersey numbers accessible to particular kinds of gamers. Kansas Metropolis’s rule change would permit all talent place gamers on either side of the ball to put on any quantity between 1 and 49, whereas additionally permitting non-quarterback offensive talent gamers to put on numbers between 80 and 89. It might additionally permit linebackers to start sporting numbers within the 90s. 

Here is precisely how the change would break down: 

In response to Professional Soccer Speak, the Chiefs proposed the change for 2 causes. First, to attenuate cases of duplicate numbers on groups when gamers get referred to as up from the follow squad and through the preseason. And second, properly, “It is simply enjoyable.”

It undoubtedly can be. Permitting offensive and defensive talent gamers to put on, amongst different issues, single-digit numbers would certainly end in a raft of number-changes all through the league as working backs, receivers, defensive backs and extra scrambled to select up numbers that have been accessible to them in highschool and faculty however not as soon as they reached the professionals. It’d additionally permit for extra conditions like working again Ty Montgomery sporting No. 88, as a result of he was grandfathered in after switching positions from huge receiver. 

Along with the gamers that will be capable of change numbers, such a rule change would essentially have an effect on the punters and kickers who presently put on numbers within the single-digits or teenagers and will quickly be supplied items in change for giving them up and switching to a special quantity. It’d have an effect on announcers on CBS, FOX, ESPN, NFL Community, and native broadcasts who must get used to an entire bunch of numbers across the league. And it’d have an effect on followers, as a result of there can be a raft of favourite gamers who switched jersey numbers and impressed followers to select up the brand new threads so they do not have an out-of-date jersey. 

And that final one is why I feel the rule change will go and take impact sooner relatively than later, although the league normally doesn’t institute rule adjustments that will be as enjoyable (and universally beloved) as this one. The house owners won’t be able to go up the inflow of money that will come together with this alteration — particularly within the wake of a pandemic season the place a lot of them both misplaced cash or made considerably much less cash than they anticipated to previous to COVID-19 sweeping throughout the nation and the world.