Roquan Smith to Change Number for Upcoming NFL Season

Prior to the 2023 football season, the NFL announced a rule change that would permit players to wear the number zero. The change comes on the heels of another previous rule change in 2021, which allowed skill players to wear single-digit numbers on their jerseys.

In the wake of the rule change, Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith has decided to take advantage and change his jersey number from 18 to zero. He joins Philadelphia running back and former Georgia teammate D'Andre Swift as the second Bulldog in the NFL to do so.

Smith wore the number three when played for the Bulldogs from 2015-2017 and was a major part of the team's 2017 national championship run. He finished his career at Georgia with 252 total tackles and 6.5 sacks. He was selected by the Chicago Bears as the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

This is the second time this year that Smith has made history. Prior to becoming the first Raven to wear the number zero, Smith inked a deal with the Baltimore Ravens in early January that would make him the highest-paid linebacker in the league. His contract with the Ravens is worth $100 million and will last five years.

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