List of National Football League retired numbers


Teams in the National Football League retire jersey numbers of players who either are considered by the team to have made significant contributions to that team's success, or who have experienced untimely deaths during their playing career. As with other leagues, once a team retires a player's jersey number, it never issues the number to any other player, unless the player or team explicitly allows it.

History

Since NFL teams began retiring numbers, 139 players have had their jersey number retired. The Chicago Bears have the most retired numbers of any team with 14. Only two players, Reggie White and Peyton Manning, have had their number retired by two teams. Three teams –the Las Vegas Raiders, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Dallas Cowboys– traditionally do not retire jersey numbers, and two others –the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers– have only retired a few. Also without a retired jersey number are the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, although those teams are less than 30 years old. The Raiders have a strict policy of not keeping a number out of circulation; the Texans, who not only are the newest member of the league but one that did not make its first playoff appearance until 2011, have not yet built up a history long enough to warrant retiring a number. The Buffalo Bills under Ralph Wilson also did not, with the exception of Jim Kelly, officially retire jersey numbers; this policy was reversed under Wilson's successor Terry Pegula.
Unlike Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, the NFL has never retired a jersey number league-wide in honor of anyone. Numbers 0 and 00 are no longer allowed, but were not retired in honor of any particular player, since the NFL's positional numbering system, imposed in 1973, does not allocate a position for players wearing those numbers. The numbers can be, and rarely are, used in the preseason when no other numbers for a player's position are available.

Retired numbers

PlayerNo.TeamYears with teamDate number retiredRefs
8Arizona Cardinals1960–721970
40Arizona Cardinals1998–2001September 19, 2004
77Arizona Cardinals1946–48
88Arizona Cardinals1974–781979
99Arizona Cardinals1939–43, 1946–48
12Buffalo Bills1986–96November 19, 2001
34Buffalo Bills1988–99October 30, 2018
78Buffalo Bills1985–99September 15, 2016
51Carolina Panthers1995–97August 13. 2005
3Chicago Bears1930–37, 1943
5Chicago Bears1940–41, 1945–50
7Chicago Bears1920–28
28Chicago Bears1957–63
34Chicago Bears1975–87
40Chicago Bears1965–71October 31, 1994
41Chicago Bears1965–69
42Chicago Bears1939–50
51Chicago Bears1965–73October 31, 1994
56Chicago Bears1932–36
61Chicago Bears1952–65
66Chicago Bears1940–52
77Chicago Bears1925–34
89Chicago Bears1961–66December 9, 2013
54Cincinnati Bengals1968–79December 17, 1978
14Cleveland Browns1946–55
32Cleveland Browns1957–65
45Cleveland Browns1962
46Cleveland Browns1960–62
76Cleveland Browns1946–59, 1961–671968
7Denver Broncos1983–98September 13, 1999

*Peyton Manning		18Denver Broncos1960–63
*2012-15		1963
44Denver Broncos1967–75
7Detroit Lions1934–38
20Detroit Lions1989–98
22Detroit Lions1950–58
37Detroit Lions1950–55
56Detroit Lions1953–65
85Detroit Lions1970–71
3Green Bay Packers1941–521952
4Green Bay Packers1992–2007November 26, 2015
14Green Bay Packers1935–45December 2, 1951
15Green Bay Packers1956–711973
66Green Bay Packers1958–721983
92Green Bay Packers1993–98September 18, 2005
18Indianapolis Colts1998–2011October 8, 2017
19Indianapolis Colts1956–72
22Indianapolis Colts1953–55
24Indianapolis Colts1956–67
70Indianapolis Colts1953–611962
77Indianapolis Colts1957–67
82Indianapolis Colts1955–67
89Indianapolis Colts1953–66
3Kansas City Chiefs1967–79August 24, 1992
16Kansas City Chiefs1962–75
18Kansas City Chiefs1966–78October 19, 2008
28Kansas City Chiefs1960–74
33Kansas City Chiefs1963September 8, 1963
36Kansas City Chiefs1964–65
58Kansas City Chiefs1989–99December 6, 2009
63Kansas City Chiefs1967–77August 24, 1992
78Kansas City Chiefs1963–741984
86Kansas City Chiefs1963–75August 24, 1992
14Los Angeles Chargers1973–871988
19Los Angeles Chargers1962–70November 20, 2005
21Los Angeles Chargers2001–09November 21, 2015
55Los Angeles Chargers1990–02May 11, 2012
7Los Angeles Rams1945–521952
28Los Angeles Rams1999–2006December 21, 2007
29Los Angeles Rams1983–87
74Los Angeles Rams1962–76
75Los Angeles Rams1961–71September 27, 2009
78Los Angeles Rams1976–95
80Los Angeles Rams1994–2007October 31, 2010
85Los Angeles Rams1971–84
12Miami Dolphins1967–801985
13Miami Dolphins1983–99November 23, 2003
39Miami Dolphins1968–74, 19792002
10Minnesota Vikings1961–66, 1972–78October 7, 1979
53Minnesota Vikings1962–78November 25, 2001
70Minnesota Vikings1961–79November 28, 1999
77Minnesota Vikings1995–2000November 19, 2001
80Minnesota Vikings1990–2001September 14, 2003
88Minnesota Vikings1967–78September 25, 1988
20New England Patriots1960–70
40New England Patriots1976–82
57New England Patriots1974–87July 11, 1988
73New England Patriots1973–85
78New England Patriots1987–20002000
79New England Patriots1960–70
89New England Patriots1960–67
31New Orleans Saints1967
81New Orleans Saints1967–69December 19, 1969
1New York Giants1928–35
4New York Giants1936–43
7New York Giants1931–45
10New York Giants2004–19
11New York Giants1979–93September 4, 1995
14New York Giants1937–45
14New York Giants1961–641965
16New York Giants1952–64October 19, 2000
32New York Giants1942–441945
40New York Giants1959–721970
42New York Giants1948–611962
92New York Giants1993-2007
50New York Giants1936–47Prior to 1968
56New York Giants1981–93October 11, 1994
12New York Jets1965–76October 14, 1985
13New York Jets1963–72
28New York Jets1998–2005September 9, 2012
73New York Jets1977–87December 26, 2004
90New York Jets1989–92October 28, 2012
5Philadelphia Eagles1999–2009September 20, 2013
15Philadelphia Eagles1944–511951
20Philadelphia Eagles1996–2008September 30, 2012
40Philadelphia Eagles1953–611962
44Philadelphia Eagles1956–661965
60Philadelphia Eagles1949–62
70Philadelphia Eagles1944–511952
92Philadelphia Eagles1985–92December 5, 2005
99Philadelphia Eagles1987–91September 6, 1992
70Pittsburgh Steelers1950–63October 25, 1964
75Pittsburgh Steelers1969–81November 2, 2014
8San Francisco 49ers1987–99October 5, 2008
12San Francisco 49ers1957–73
16San Francisco 49ers1979–92December 15, 1997
34San Francisco 49ers1948–601971
37San Francisco 49ers1961–761977
39San Francisco 49ers1952–60
42San Francisco 49ers1981–90November 17, 2003
70San Francisco 49ers1959–731974
73San Francisco 49ers1950–631971
79San Francisco 49ers1953–63December 2, 2001
80San Francisco 49ers1985–2000September 20, 2010
87San Francisco 49ers1979–871988
45Seattle Seahawks1981–87October 1, 2017
71Seattle Seahawks1997–2009December 5, 2010
80Seattle Seahawks1976–891992
96Seattle Seahawks1990–2000October 14, 2012
Fans 12Seattle Seahawks1984–December 15, 1984
55Tampa Bay Buccaneers1995–08September 14, 2014
63Tampa Bay Buccaneers1976–84September 15, 1986
99Tampa Bay Buccaneers1995–03November 11, 2013
1Tennessee Titans1984–93October 1, 2006
9Tennessee Titans1995–2005September 15, 2019
27Tennessee Titans1996–2003September 15, 2019
34Tennessee Titans1978–84August 13, 1987
43Tennessee Titans1960–68June 6, 2019
63Tennessee Titans1982–931996
65Tennessee Titans1968–83
74Tennessee Titans1983–2001
33Washington Football Team1937–52
49Washington Football Team1962–68

Key:
*- Player listed as honorable mention and was allowed to wear number after original retirement