Lamar Jackson may pull a Kobe Bryant.
The Baltimore Ravens star quarterback currently wears No. 8 and has done since he entered the league – but if he has it his way, that may not be the case much longer.
“If we win the Super Bowl I’m going to No. 1,” Jackson said on The Lounge Podcast a couple of years ago.
“I want to go No. 1.
“That’s my first number ever.
“My dad told me to get No. 1 because that’s the best, you’re the best, and that always stuck with me.”
“I got No. 8 when I went to college and then my mom told me that eight stands for new beginnings.
“So it’s like dang, it’s a new beginning, so I kept eight…
“I want to retire No. 8 and No. 1 and do that here at the Ravens.
“I want to win a Super Bowl with No. 8 on, then come back and do the same thing with No. 1 on.”
Just like Bryant did with the Los Angeles Lakers, switching from his iconic No. 8 to his equally iconic No. 24, Jackson wants to retire both of his chosen numbers.
What he has done while wearing No. 8 has already put him on the path to the Hall of Fame.
Two MVP awards, with a third looking increasingly like being on the way and a couple of All-Pro selections, Jackson has built quite the resume.
The only thing missing, is a ring.
And if he is able to capture that elusive title, then look for him to swap out the eight, for a one.
If the star quarterback decides to change his number, he better have prepared ahead of time, or else it will cost Jackson millions.
Before the start of the 2021 season, when the league loosened their hard rule on who can wear what numbers, they stated that players who wanted to change numbers with the same team had to give at least a year’s notice.
If a year’s notice isn’t given, the player will be required to purchase all unsold inventory of their previous jerseys.
And for a player as popular as Jackson, that would cost him millions to buy back all the Baltimore No. 8 jerseys.
If Jackson is serious about changing his number, he surely would have used that ‘loophole’ to assure himself he wouldn’t have to buy back all of his old jerseys and let the league know what his intentions are within the proper timeframe.
After a Wild Card win over AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday he is three wins away from his first ever Super Bowl title.
The only thing standing in his way, is a trip to Buffalo to face Josh Allen, and then what could potentially be a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship, between Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
If all goes according to his plan, he’ll be rocking No. 1 next season, with a ring on his finger.
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