Why Did Detroit Lions Running Back Jahmyr Gibbs Change His Number From 26 to 0?

Football fans are enjoying the beginning of the 2025 season, which kicked off with a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4, 2025. One NFL star, Jahmyr Gibbs, changed the number on his football jersey ahead of the season, and fans are curious as to why he made the change.

The Detroit Lions' running back is entering his third season in the NFL. He was drafted after playing football for the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Alabama.

According to ESPN's Eric Woodyard, Jahmyr changed his number from 26 to 0 because he never liked the number 26. He was given the number after being drafted and wanted to go back to his old college number, which was No. 1, but it was taken by his teammate, Jameson Williams, so he chose 0 instead.

"I hated 26," he revealed. "It was like, when I got drafted, the only numbers that were available were like 26, 33, 35, 40, stuff like that, so I went 26. They said I was able to change it. I wanted 1, Jamo got 1, so zero was the next best, right next to it. So I got it."

Jahmyr added that he was nervous about the number change.

“There’s no special meaning or nothing,” he said. “But it looks good. I was scared, though, not gonna lie. But then I was playing Madden the other day, the beta, and I looked at it and I was like ‘oh, this is kinda nice.’ I just didn’t want it to look ugly. I didn’t want it to look bad. I didn’t want the zero to look too big or too small. It looks good, though.”

Fans reacted to the number change on social media.

"If you’re a good player. The number will be good," wrote one sports fan. "The number doesn’t do the work, you do!"

"26 was legit," wrote another. "I don’t understand that move, but hey, whatever his choice lol."

"I hated that he had to get 26 when he was first drafted, but he made that 26 cold now. It won’t look right without it," added another.

According to Detroit Football Network, Morice Norris will wear Jahmyr's old number. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold wore No. 0 during the 2024 football season, and he will now wear No. 6 during the 2025 season. According to Yahoo! Sports, Detroit Lions' wide receiver Jameson Williams is also changing his jersey number. Jameson will change his jersey to No. 1 from No. 9, and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. is taking No. 9.

D.J. Reed wore No. 2 with the Seattle Seahawks and No. 1 for the New York Jets, but he will wear No. 4 with the Detroit Lions. Former Indianapolis Colts will wear No. 15, and rookie Tate Ratledge will wear No. 69. Rookies Miles Frazier will wear No. 71, and Isaac TeSlaa will wear No. 18.