Best of Jersey 9

Number 9 in the NFL often conjures images of legendary quarterbacks carving up defenses. But this iconic jersey number has a story that extends far beyond the pocket.  Worn by some of the most electrifying wide receivers and impactful players in league history, number 9 signifies game-changing plays, acrobatic catches, and an unmatched dedication to excellence.

This list dives into the careers of the greatest NFL players who donned the number 9 with distinction, shattering the stereotype of a quarterback-dominated number. Get ready to discover a diverse group of gridiron greats, from the record-breaking dominance of Drew Brees to the clutch performances of Steve McNair.

In our quest to find the top NFL players that wore each jersey number in the League’s history, we come to the number 9.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame status off as always by identify a couple of enshrinees as wearers of the number 9 so far:

• Sonny Jurgensen was born August 23. 1934 - Sonny Jurgensen was a former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined the fantastic quarterback in the class of 1983.  Sonny attended Duke University where in his first season playing for the Blue Devils he had a bigger impact as a DB than a QB, registering a total of five interceptions. In later years he went on to start at QB and was eventually drafted into the NFL by the Eagles. As a backup in 1960, behind Norm Van Brocklin, Jurgensen won his only NFL Championship.
• Steve Owen was born April 28, 1898 and was an outstanding offensive lineman at Phillips University. He spent a total of 30 seasons in the NFL both as a player and a head coach.  As a player he was a defensive stud in the lLeague during the 1920’s. Steve first played for the Kansas City Blues and Cowboys in 1924 which was a traveling team, before he landed on the Cleveland Bulldogs roster in late 1925. The Bulldogs sold his rights to the New York Giants for $500 cash and he played in NY for seven seasons. In 1920 he became the team’s player coach and then took over as only having the Head coach title in 1931.The Pro FOotball Hall of Fame claims , “ Under his tutelage, the Giants played in eight of the first 14 championship games of the National Football League. The team’s victory in the 1934 “Sneakers Game” is well documented. He coached the Giants to another title in 1938. He originated the “umbrella defense” – the secondary was likened to an umbrella with four deep defensive backs representing the umbrella’s spokes.” The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined him in 1966.

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Others that wore number 9:

• Drew Brees QB San Diego  Chargers and New Orleans Saints
• Matthew Stafford QB Detroit Lions and LA Rams
• Steve McNair QB Tennessee Oilers/Titans and Baltimore Ravens
• Tony Romo  QB Dallas Cowboys
• Carson Palmer QB Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals
• Tommy Kramer QB - Minnesota Vikings
• Jim McMahon Quarterback - Chicago Bears Super Bowl 
• Juston Tucker kicker Baltimore Ravens
• Rodney Peete  QB Detroit Lions
• Jay Fielder Kicker
• Matt Bahr Kicker
• Rian Lindell Kicker
• Nick Foles QB Eagles, Jaguars and Chicago Bears. Super Bowl LII winner and game MVP
• Robby Gould
• Billy Wade
• Chris Boswell
• Joe Pisarcik
• Jon Ryan Kicker
• Shane Lechler

Check out who we picked as our top ten best from this list: List of the top 10 NFL Jersey Number 9 players

A speical thanks to the Pro Football Reference website for information they share on these great players. Check them out at Pro-Football-Reference.com

Darin goes solo to discuss the greatest players to wear the number 9 in NFL history. We had a great list of candidates that really spanned the entire 101 plus years of history of the League and came up with these ten player as being the most substantial:  

1. Drew Brees
2. Mathew Stafford
3. Joe Burrow
4. Sonny Jurgensen
5. Steve Owen
6. Steve McNair
7. Tony Romo
8. Carson Palmer
9. Justin Tucker
10. Robbie Gould
11. Jim McMahon.

A speical thanks to the Pro Football Reference website for information they share on these great players. Check them out at Pro-Football-Reference.com

The Image used above is courtesy of Google Gemini and others from Wikimedia Commons. It is pleasing to see such vivid images of the jerseys that point out the uniform number and help us identify the legends that wore it.