Greatest Players Who Wore the NFL Jersey 38

From Hall of Fame Quarterback to Rushing Champ: Why Number 38 is a Hidden Gem of NFL History! 💎🏈

Did you know that jersey number 38 was worn by Pro Football Hall of Famer Arnie Herber, who is often considered one of the NFL’s first great passing quarterbacks, leading the Green Bay Packers to four championships in the pre-Super Bowl era? That surprising versatility defines this jersey! From Herber’s pioneering play to powerful runners like George Rogers—the 1981 Offensive Rookie of the Year and rushing champion—the number 38 has been a home for players who quietly delivered elite, game-changing performances. Dive in to explore the unsung heroes and statistical leaders who made the number 38 a symbol of consistent, high-impact excellence!

Here is a 2021 podcast episode that helps shed light on this list of legends.

Who Are the Top NFL Players Who Wore Jersey 38?

Here are one- or two-sentence descriptions of the NFL careers and accomplishments of the requested players:

Arnie Herber

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, he was one of the NFL’s first great passers, leading the Green Bay Packers to four NFL Championships and leading the league in passing three times.

Quarterback – Green Bay Packers (1930–1940), New York Giants (1944–1945) – 1 Pro Bowl selection and 3 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1935–1940 seasons.

Cal Hubbard

A Charter Pro Football Hall of Fame member, this dominant two-way tackle/end was the only person ever inducted into both the Pro Football and Baseball Halls of Fame (as an umpire), winning four NFL Championships.

Offensive Tackle / Defensive Tackle – New York Giants (1927–1928, 1936), Green Bay Packers (1929–1933, 1935), Pittsburgh Pirates (1936) – 4 All-Pro selections and 0 Pro Bowl selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1935 season.

Mark Kelso

A safety for the Buffalo Bills, he was a key defensive back on the teams that reached four consecutive Super Bowls and was known for wearing an oversized “Pro Cap” to prevent concussions.

Safety – Buffalo Bills (1986–1993) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1986–1993 seasons.

George Rogers

The 1980 Heisman Trophy winner and 1981 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, this powerful running back led the league in rushing his rookie season and won Super Bowl XXII with Washington.

Running Back – New Orleans Saints (1981–1984), Washington Redskins (1985–1987) – 2 Pro Bowl selections and 2 All-Pro selections (1 First-Team, 1 Second-Team) – Wore Number 38 during the 1981–1987 seasons.

Tramon Williams

An accomplished cornerback, he transitioned from an undrafted free agent to a Pro Bowl player, winning Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers and becoming a respected defensive leader.

Cornerback – Green Bay Packers (2007–2014, 2018–2019, 2020), Cleveland Browns (2015–2016), Arizona Cardinals (2017), Baltimore Ravens (2020) – 1 Pro Bowl selection and 0 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2007–2014, 2018–2019, and 2020 seasons.

Eugene Daniel

A durable cornerback who played 14 NFL seasons, primarily with the Colts, he compiled 38 career interceptions and once tied for the AFC lead in interceptions in 1985.

Cornerback – Indianapolis Colts (1984–1996), Baltimore Ravens (1997) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1984–1997 seasons.

Bob Tucker

A reliable tight end for the New York Giants and Vikings, he was the first tight end in NFL history to lead the league in receptions in 1971.

Tight End – New York Giants (1970–1977), Minnesota Vikings (1977–1980) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1970–1980 seasons.

Sam Baker

A first-round pick for the Atlanta Falcons, this offensive tackle played seven seasons but had his career cut short by injuries, including a torn patellar tendon in 2013.

Kicker / Punter – Washington Redskins (1953, 1956–1959), Cleveland Browns (1960–1961), Dallas Cowboys (1962–1963), Philadelphia Eagles (1964–1969) – 4 Pro Bowl selections and 0 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1962–1969 seasons.

Dashon Goldson

A hard-hitting safety, he earned two Pro Bowl selections and was named First-team All-Pro in 2012 during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers.

Free Safety – San Francisco 49ers (2007–2012), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2013–2014), Washington Redskins (2015), Atlanta Falcons (2016) – 2 Pro Bowl selections and 1 First-Team All-Pro selection – Wore Number 38 during the 2007–2016 seasons.

Mike Anderson

The 2000 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, this power running back for the Denver Broncos achieved two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including a rookie year total of 1,487 yards.

Running Back – Denver Broncos (2000–2005), Baltimore Ravens (2006–2007) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2000–2007 seasons.

Roland James

A first-round safety for the New England Patriots, he played 11 seasons and was instrumental in the team’s run to Super Bowl XX, known for a three-interception quarter against the Bills in 1983.

Safety – New England Patriots (1980–1990) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1980–1990 seasons.

Tyrone Poole

A cornerback who played 14 seasons, he was a first-round pick who went on to win two consecutive Super Bowls (XXXVIII and XXXIX) with the New England Patriots.

Cornerback – Carolina Panthers (1995–1997), Indianapolis Colts (1998–2000), Denver Broncos (2001), New England Patriots (2003–2005), Oakland Raiders (2006), Tennessee Titans (2008) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1995–2001, 2003–2006, and 2008 seasons.

More Significant Players Who Wore NFL Jersey 38

Danieal Manning

Safety / Return Specialist – Chicago Bears (2006–2010), Houston Texans (2011–2014) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2006–2014 seasons.

Kimble Anders

Fullback – Kansas City Chiefs (1991–2000) – 3 Pro Bowl selections and 0 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1991–2000 seasons.

Bill Triplett

Running Back – St. Louis Cardinals (1962–1966), New York Giants (1967), Detroit Lions (1968–1972) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1962–1972 seasons.

Antonio Langham

Cornerback – Cleveland Browns (1994–1995), Baltimore Ravens (1996–1997), San Francisco 49ers (1998, 2000), New England Patriots (1999) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1994–2000 seasons.

Larry Smith

Running Back – Los Angeles Rams (1969–1973), Washington Redskins (1974) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1969–1974 seasons.

Wendell Hayes

Running Back / Fullback – Dallas Cowboys (1963), Denver Broncos (1964–1967), Kansas City Chiefs (1968–1974) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1963 and 1968–1974 seasons.

Lee Nelson

Defensive Back / Safety – St. Louis Cardinals (1976–1985) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1976–1985 seasons.

Todd Scott

Safety – Minnesota Vikings (1991–1994), New York Jets (1995), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995–1996), Kansas City Chiefs (1997) – 1 Pro Bowl selection and 1 All-Pro selection (Second-Team) – Wore Number 38 during the 1991–1997 seasons.

Ron Parker

Safety – Seattle Seahawks (2011, 2012), Oakland Raiders (2011), Carolina Panthers (2012), Kansas City Chiefs (2013–2018) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2013–2018 seasons.

Jacque MacKinnon

Tight End / Fullback – San Diego Chargers (1961–1969), Oakland Raiders (1970) – 2 Pro Bowl (AFL All-Star) selections and 2 All-Pro (AFL) selections (1 First-Team, 1 Second-Team) – Wore Number 38 during the 1961–1969 seasons.

Rick Byas

Cornerback – Atlanta Falcons (1974–1980) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1974–1980 seasons.

Jeff Heath

Dallas Cowboys (2013–2019), Las Vegas Raiders (2020), New Orleans Saints (2021) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2013–2021 seasons.

Calvin Jackson

Cornerback – Miami Dolphins (1994–1999) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1994–1999 seasons.

Clarence Harmon

Running Back – Washington Redskins (1977–1982) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1977–1982 seasons.

Ed Taylor

Defensive Back / Cornerback – New York Jets (1975–1979), Miami Dolphins (1979–1981) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1975–1979 seasons.

Adrian Amos

Safety – Chicago Bears (2015–2018), Green Bay Packers (2019–2022), New York Jets (2023), Houston Texans (2023) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2015–2018 seasons.

T.J. Carrie

Cornerback – Oakland Raiders (2014–2017), Cleveland Browns (2018–2019), Indianapolis Colts (2020–2021), Carolina Panthers (2022) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2014–2021 seasons.

Mack Strong

Fullback – Seattle Seahawks (1993–2007) – 2 Pro Bowl selections and 1 All-Pro selection – Wore Number 38 during the 1993–2007 seasons.

Ed Bradley

Linebacker – Pittsburgh Steelers (1972–1975), Seattle Seahawks (1976), San Francisco 49ers (1977–1978) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 1972–1976 seasons.

Andre Ellington

Running Back – Arizona Cardinals (2013–2017), Houston Texans (2017) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 38 during the 2013–2017 seasons.

Tony Baker

Running Back – New Orleans Saints (1968–1971), Philadelphia Eagles (1971–1972), Los Angeles Rams (1973–1974), San Diego Chargers (1975) – 1 Pro Bowl selection – Wore Number 38 during the 1968–1975 seasons.

Conclusion

From the four-time championship heroics of pioneer quarterback Arnie Herber to the Heisman-winning power of George Rogers, jersey number 38 tells a story of unexpected greatness across generations. While it may not feature the same density of Hall of Famers as other iconic numbers, it has consistently been worn by players who profoundly impacted their eras, excelling as both dominant rushers and reliable defensive backs. The legacy of No. 38 proves that true significance in the NFL is measured not just by fame, but by consistent, versatile, and high-impact play that helps teams win championships.

We offer our special thanks to the sites we used to gather information for these facts, including Pro-Football-Reference.com, StatMuse.com, Newspapers.com, NFL.com, and Wikipedia.com.