Here are the jersey numbers for the Patriots’ 2023 rookies
The Patriots rookies will share numbers with team legends and even some teammates.
The New England Patriots announced on Thursday what numbers their rookies will be wearing for the 2023 NFL season.
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In somewhat of a surprise, first-round cornerback Christian Gonzalez will wear No. 19 this season. Gonzalez wore No. 0 during his time at the University of Oregon, and many thought he would become the first Patriots player to ever have the number. As of Thursday, no Patriot will wear zero, a number the NFL made wearable for the first time this year.
Wide receiver and training camp standout Demario Douglas will receive a number that many Patriots fans are familiar with: 81. The last receiver to wear No. 81 was Hall of Famer Randy Moss, a man many consider one of the greatest wideouts of all time. No one expects Douglas to live up to Moss’s excellence, but he’s giving fans a lot to be excited about in similar ways.
Other rookies will don numbers that Patriots legends previously wore. Receiver Kayshon Boutte will wear Troy Brown’s No. 80. Linebacker Jourdan Helig will wear Rodney Harrison’s No. 37. Center Jake Andrews will wear No. 67, just like fellow center Dan Koppen did. And tight end Johnny Lumpkin will join Wes Welker on the list of Patriots players to wear No. 83.
Patriots punter Bryce Baringer will wear No. 9, a number shared by edge rusher Matthew Judon. Judon’s reaction to this news speaks for itself.
Cornerback Isaiah Bolden’s No. 7 is the only other single-digit number assigned to a rookie player. That number is also taken by a teammate, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Kicker Chad Ryland will also wear a teammate’s number, running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s No. 38.
The preseason could allow us to see some of the rookies take the field with their new numbers. We could see quarterback Malik Cunningham stand behind center wearing No. 16 while receiving protection from linemen Atonio Mafi and Sidy Sow, who will wear No. 68 and No. 61, respectively. Cunningham could also play wide receiver alongside Thyrick Pitts, who will wear No. 13. And when the offense leaves the field, highly-touted rookies Marte Mapu and Keion White will wear No. 30 and No. 99, respectively. Defensive tackle Justus Tavai will wear No. 94 and cornerback Ameer Speed will don No. 28.
These numbers could change before Week 1. But for now, New England’s newest players will suit up in these numbers.
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