Number 83 and the NY Giants Player Who Wore It Best

Receiver Earnest Gray had a productive six-year career with the Giants.

NY Giants WR Earnest Gray (not shown) was a key cog in the offense during the early to mid-1980s. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The countdown to the start of the New York Giants’ 2025 season is underway, as we’re now 83 days away from the opening kickoff against the Washington Commanders. To count down the days until then, we look at the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Giants.

Who Wore 83 in at Least One Regular Season Game*

John Weiss (1946-1947), Bruce Gehrke (1948), Otto Schnellbacher (1950-1951), Bud Sherrod (1952), John Martinkovic (1957), Jon Jelacic (1958), Bob Simms (1960-1962), Tom Costello (1964), Glen Condren (1965-1966), Randy Staten (1967), Barry Brown (1968), Dave Dunaway (1969), Reggie Rucker (1971), Skip Butler (1971), Thom Gatewood (1972-1973), Eddie Bell (1973-1974), Chip Glass (1974), Boyd Brown (1977), Hank Burnine (1956), Charles Coleman (1987), Vince Warren (1986), Odessa Turner (1987-1991), Earnest Gray (1979-1984), Arthur Marshall (1994), Brian Saxton (1996), David Patten (1997-1998), Pete Mitchell (1999-2000), Marcellus Rivers (2001-2004), Matt Kranchick (2005), Sinorice Moss (2006-2009), Michael Clayton (2010-2011), Brandon Myers (2013), Preston Parker (2014), Ben Edwards (2015), Larry Donnell (2012-2015), Kalif Raymond (2017), Stacy Coley (2018), Cody Latimer (2018-2019), Scott Simonson (2019), Eric Tomlinson (2019-2020), Austin Mack (2020), Pharoh Cooper (2021), Collin Johnson (2021-2022), Lawrence Cager (2022-2024).

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference.

Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

Drafted in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft out of Memphis, wide receiver Gray quickly established himself as one of the most reliable receivers for the Giants franchise. 

He made an immediate impact in his rookie season, posting 537 receiving yards and four touchdowns, earning Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) All-Rookie team honors that season. 

In 1981, he was part of a Giants team that returned to the postseason for the first time in 18 years. That season, Gray appeared in 16 games with three starts and caught 22 balls for 360 yards and two touchdowns. In that year’s postseason, Gray posted four receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown, the best postseason performance of his career.  

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Gray’s breakout season came in 1983. Appearing in and starting all 16 games, he logged career highs in receptions (78), receiving yards (1,139), and a long of 63 yards while adding five touchdowns (his career high in touchdowns came in 10980 when he caught ten)(.

Gray, in fact, was the Giants' receiving yardage leader in 1983, with his teammate, receiver John Mistler, nearest to him, having 422 receiving yards that season. 

Unfortunately, Gray’s performance–he caught most of his passes that year from quarterback Scott Brunner–wasn’t enough to help the Giants get back to the playoffs, as they finished 3-12-1 in what was then head coach Bill Parcell’s first season.

By the time Gray’s six-year career ended with the Giants, he had recorded 246 receptions, 3,790 yards, and 27 touchdowns, ranking as one of the best receivers of the franchise by the time he left the team.   

Gray spent the final year of his career with the then-St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he appeared in just five games with no starts.

Who’s Wearing It Now?

Wide receiver Zach Pascal signed with the NY Giants after two seasons in Arizona. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wide receiver Zach Pascall has been assigned No. 83 on the Giants’ 2025 roster for the time being. 

Pascall has worn No. 6 throughout his college career before switching to No. 14 during his three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (2018-21). 

Signed to a free-agent contract this offseason, Pascall has played in 112 games with 47 starts. He also spent one season (2022) with the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he made a Super Bowl appearance. More recently, Pascall was with the Arizona Cardinals for the last two seasons.

Pascall has 169 receptions for 2,057 yards and 16 touchdowns and has seven career rushing attempts for 47 yards. His main role, however, has been on special teams, where he has contributed 26 kick returns for 597 yards and made 19 special teams tackles.

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