Should Cardinals Safety Budda Baker Switch His Jersey Number to Zero?
PHOENIX -- There's been a few different notable rule changes made after the NFL had their annual league meeting in the backyard of the Arizona Cardinals, yet none drew more conversation on social media than the switch to make the number zero wearable by players this season.
New York Giants WR Parris Campbell and Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley have already made the switch to the new number, which will be available for
Atlanta Falcons CEO Rich McKay said there wasn't much discussion about the decision according to ESPN.
"This is one thing that could help us in that challenge, because we do have some players that tend to like the single digit. Numbers are more problematic than they've ever been, so this one had very little pushback," he said.
The Cardinals have yet to see a public candidate emerge for the prized possession, though there's one player everybody seems to have in mind: Budda Baker.
Baker isn't new to the number-changing game. He arrived to the scene as a rookie wearing No. 36 before eventually switching to 32. In 2021, he changed his number to 3 and has worn that the past two seasons.
Is another change on the way?
Baker meets the criteria to wear the number, as only offensive and defensive linemen aren't allowed to don the No. 0.
Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano says Baker should be the top priority to wear the new number.
"Baker meets many criterias for rocking No. 0. Established star player whose top priority on the field is to prevent downfield plays. Defensive backs love waving their arms after every pass defended. Now Baker can do that while shouting 'nada'," - Manzano
Social media agreed, with other options such as Isaiah Simmons thrown in the comments of Kyle Odegard's tweet:
Baker - one of the Cardinals' franchise players - likely has a large assortment of jerseys on racks ready to be sold. That would be costly if Baker wanted to change his number, as NFL players who wish to change their number must purchase the unsold jerseys before the change happens.
To avoid that, Baker could simply remain in No. 3 for 2023 (after requesting the change) and switch next year at no cost, though that's rare.
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