Greatest Players Who Wore the NFL Jersey 13

Who is the G.O.A.T. to Wear No. 13? Unpacking the History of an Iconic NFL Jersey

The number 13 jersey carries a storied, yet often overlooked, legacy in NFL history. Far from being unlucky, this number has been worn by some of the most electric, game-changing talents ever to grace the gridiron. While fans debate the top quarterbacks wearing No. 12, the conversation for number 13 is fiercely contested by elite receivers and legendary figures.

The debate starts with Hall of Famer Don Maynard, one of the sport’s top ends. It also includes “The Golden Boy,” Dan Marino, a record-smashing quarterback who redefined the passing game without ever needing a rushing threat. More recently, modern legends like Kurt Warner, the improbable grocery-store worker-turned-MVP, and the polarizing yet dominant receiver Odell Beckham Jr., known for his gravity-defying catches, carried the torch. Discover who stands at the top of this exclusive list of NFL legends and find out why the number 13 truly is a mark of gridiron greatness.

List of significant players who wore the NFL Jersey 13

Dan Marino

QB (Miami Dolphins): One of the most prolific pure passers in history, he was the first quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season (1984) and held nearly every major passing record upon his retirement.

After starring at the University of Pittsburgh, Dan Marino spent his entire professional career with the Miami Dolphins, playing from 1983 to 1999. He wore his iconic number 13 jersey for every game of those 17 NFL seasons. Among his numerous career milestones, Marino was named the 1984 NFL MVP, earned nine Pro Bowl selections, and became the first quarterback in history to surpass 5,000 passing yards in a single season. He retired holding over 40 NFL passing records, a historic run that culminated in his 2005 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dan Marino

Kurt Warner

QB (St. Louis Rams / New York Giants / Arizona Cardinals): He is the only player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame to win the NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, and an NFL Championship after starting his career in the Arena Football League.

After playing college football at the University of Northern Iowa, Kurt Warner embarked on an iconic NFL career that culminated in his 2017 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played for the St. Louis Rams (1998–2003), New York Giants (2004), and Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009), famously wearing jersey number 13 from the 1999 through 2009 seasons. During his remarkable career, Warner achieved incredible milestones, including being named a two-time NFL MVP and winning Super Bowl XXXIV, where he also earned Super Bowl MVP honors.

Kurt Warner

Odell Beckham Jr.

WR (New York Giants / Cleveland Browns / Los Angeles Rams / Baltimore Ravens / Miami Dolphins): A dynamic playmaker, he holds the NFL record for the fastest player to reach both 4,000 and 5,000 career receiving yards.

Position: Wide Receiver (WR)

NFL Team(s) & Years:

• New York Giants (2014–2018)
• Cleveland Browns (2019–2021)
• Los Angeles Rams (2021)
• Baltimore Ravens (2023)
• Miami Dolphins (2024)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors:

• Pro Bowl: 3 selections (2014, 2015, 2016)
• All-Pro: 2 selections (Second-team All-Pro: 2015, 2016)

Seasons Wearing No. 13: 2014–2021 (wore No. 13 for the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns before switching to No. 3 with the Rams in 2021, and later wearing No. 3 in Baltimore and Miami)

Don Maynard

Position Played: Wide Receiver / Flanker / Halfback / End

Teams Played For (Years): New York Giants (1958), New York Titans / Jets (1960–1972), St. Louis Cardinals (1973)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Selections:

• 4-time Pro Bowl / AFL All-Star: 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969
• 5-time All-Pro / All-AFL: 1st-Team in 1968, 1969; 2nd-Team in 1960, 1965, 1967

Seasons Wearing Jersey #13: 1958, 1960–1973 (wore #13 throughout his entire NFL and AFL career with the Giants, Titans/Jets, and Cardinals)

Ken Riley

DB – Cincinnati Bengals Hall of Fame Defensive back from 1969-1983.

After playing collegiately as a quarterback at Florida A&M, Ken Riley spent his entire 15-season professional career (1969–1983) as a cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals, wearing jersey number 13 for all of those NFL campaigns. He established himself as an elite defender by recording 65 career interceptions, a milestone that tied him for fifth on the league’s all-time list. Riley’s remarkable consistency was highlighted by a First-team All-Pro selection in his final season (1983) and culminated in his posthumous enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023

Guy Chamberlin

(T) Guy Chamberlin was a legendary end and player-coach who played college football at Nebraska Wesleyan before transferring to star at the University of Nebraska. During his pioneering pro career, he played for the Canton Bulldogs (1919, 1922–1923), Decatur/Chicago Staleys (1920–1921), Cleveland Bulldogs (1924), Frankford Yellow Jackets (1925–1926), and Chicago Cardinals (1927). Among his major career milestones, Chamberlin won six professional championships—including four as a player-coach—and was later enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. While uniform numbers were not strictly standardized during his earliest playing days, Chamberlin is instead officially associated with number 13 by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

(Canton Bulldogs (1924), Frankford Yellow Jackets (1925-26), Chicago Cardinals (1927)

Guy Chamberlin

Celebrate Football History With Your Collection

"Heads up: A few links in this description are affiliate links. That means if you click through and grab something, I might get a small cut that helps keep the lights on here—at zero additional cost to you!"

Lawrence Taylor Signed FootballSigned Football NFL LegendsWorlds Greatest Pro GridOur Award-Winning bookSmith-Njigba Signed Seattle Seahawks JerseyAutographed Game Jerseys

Pete Henry

T (Canton Bulldogs 1926)

Wilbur “Pete” Henry played college football at Washington & Jefferson before embarking on a legendary pro career with the Canton Bulldogs (1920–1923, 1925–1926), New York Giants (1927), and Pottsville Maroons (1927–1928). A dominant tackle and versatile kicker who wore jersey number 13 during his NFL seasons in the 1920s, his career milestones include winning back-to-back NFL championships in 1922 and 1923. He was named a first-team All-Pro four times, set numerous kicking and punting records, and was immortalized as a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Pete Henry

T.Y. Hilton

Position: Wide Receiver

NFL Teams & Years: Indianapolis Colts (2012–2021), Dallas Cowboys (2022)

Pro Bowl / All-Pro Honors: 4-time Pro Bowl (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)

Seasons Worn No. 13: 2012–2021 (Indianapolis Colts; switched to No. 16 with the Cowboys in 2022)

Frank Ryan

Position: Quarterback

NFL Teams & Years: Los Angeles Rams (1958–1961), Cleveland Browns (1962–1968), Washington Redskins (1969–1970)

Pro Bowl / All-Pro Honors: 3-time Pro Bowl (1964, 1965, 1966), 1-time Second-team All-Pro (1965)

Seasons Worn No. 13: 1962–1970 (Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins; wore No. 15 with the Rams from 1958–1961)

Mike Evans

Position: Wide Receiver

NFL Teams & Years: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014–2025)

Pro Bowl / All-Pro Honors: 6-time Pro Bowl (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024), 2-time Second-team All-Pro (2016, 2023)

Seasons Worn No. 13: 2014–2025 (Wore No. 13 for his entire tenure with the Buccaneers)

Keenan Allen

Position: Wide Receiver

NFL Teams & Years: San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers (2013–2023), Chicago Bears (2024)

Pro Bowl / All-Pro Honors: 6-time Pro Bowl (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023)

Seasons Worn No. 13: 2013–2024 (Wore No. 13 throughout his career with both the Chargers and Bears)

Michael Thomas

Position: Wide Receiver

NFL Teams & Years: New Orleans Saints (2016–2023)

Pro Bowl / All-Pro Honors: 3-time Pro Bowl (2017, 2018, 2019), 2-time First-team All-Pro (2018, 2019)

Seasons Worn No. 13: 2016–2023 (Wore No. 13 for all 8 seasons with the Saints)

Odell Beckham Jr.

Position: Wide Receiver

NFL Teams & Years: New York Giants (2014–2018), Cleveland Browns (2019–2021), Los Angeles Rams (2021), Baltimore Ravens (2023), Miami Dolphins (2024)

Pro Bowl / All-Pro Honors: 3-time Pro Bowl (2014, 2015, 2016), 2-time Second-team All-Pro (2015, 2016)

Seasons Worn No. 13: 2014–2018 (Giants), 2019–2021 (Browns), and 2023 (Ravens) — wore No. 3 with the Rams (2021) and Dolphins (2024)

Dave Jennings

Position: Punter (P) – Teams & Years: New York Giants (1974–1984), New York Jets (1985–1987) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 4× Pro Bowl (1978, 1979, 1980, 1982), 2× First-team All-Pro (1979, 1980), 3× Second-team All-Pro (1978, 1981, 1982) – Seasons in No. 13: 1974–1984 (New York Giants)

Jay Schroeder

Position: Quarterback (QB) – Teams & Years: Washington Redskins (1984–1987), Los Angeles Raiders (1988–1992), Cincinnati Bengals (1993), Arizona Cardinals (1994) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 1× Pro Bowl (1986) – Seasons in No. 13: 1988–1991 (Los Angeles Raiders)

Steve Johnson

Position: Wide Receiver (WR) – Teams & Years: Buffalo Bills (2008–2013), San Francisco 49ers (2014), San Diego Chargers (2015) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: None – Seasons in No. 13: 2008–2014 (Buffalo Bills: 2008–2013; San Francisco 49ers: 2014)

Steve Bono

Position: Quarterback (QB) – Teams & Years: Minnesota Vikings (1985–1986), Pittsburgh Steelers (1987–1988), San Francisco 49ers (1989–1993), Kansas City Chiefs (1994–1996), Green Bay Packers (1997), St. Louis Rams (1998), Carolina Panthers (1999) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 1× Pro Bowl (1995) – Seasons in No. 13: 1988 (Pittsburgh Steelers), 1990–1993 (San Francisco 49ers), 1994–1996 (Kansas City Chiefs), 1997 (Green Bay Packers), 1998 (St. Louis Rams), 1999 (Carolina Panthers)

Kendall Wright

Position: Wide Receiver (WR) – Teams & Years: Tennessee Titans (2012–2016), Chicago Bears (2017) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: None – Seasons in No. 13: 2012–2017 (Tennessee Titans: 2012–2016; Chicago Bears: 2017)

Chris Jacke

Position: Placekicker (K) – Teams & Years: Green Bay Packers (1989–1996), Washington Redskins (1997), Arizona Cardinals (1998–1999) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 1× First-team All-Pro (1993) – Seasons in No. 13: 1989–1999 (Green Bay Packers: 1989–1996; Washington Redskins: 1997; Arizona Cardinals: 1998–1999)

Mike Vanderjagt

Position: Placekicker (K) – Teams & Years: Indianapolis Colts (1998–2005), Dallas Cowboys (2006) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 1× Pro Bowl (2003), 1× First-team All-Pro (2003), 1× Second-team All-Pro (1999) – Seasons in No. 13: 1998–2005 (Indianapolis Colts)

Kelvin Benjamin

Position: Wide Receiver (WR) – Teams & Years: Carolina Panthers (2014–2017), Buffalo Bills (2017–2018), Kansas City Chiefs (2018) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: None – Seasons in No. 13: 2014–2018 (Carolina Panthers: 2014–2017; Buffalo Bills: 2017–2018)

Chester Marcol

Position: Placekicker (K) – Teams: Green Bay Packers (1972–1980), Houston Oilers (1980) – Honors: 2-time First-Team All-Pro (1972, 1974), 2-time Pro Bowl (1972, 1974) – Seasons wearing #13: 1972–1980 (Packers)

Steve Tensi

Position: Quarterback (QB) – Teams: San Diego Chargers (1965–1966), Denver Broncos (1967–1970) – Honors: None – Seasons wearing #13: 1965–1970 (entire pro career)

Johnny Knox

Position: Wide Receiver / Return Specialist (WR) – Teams: Chicago Bears (2009–2011) – Honors: 1-time Pro Bowl (2009) – Seasons wearing #13: 2009, 2010, 2011

Nate Burleson

Position: Wide Receiver (WR) – Teams: Minnesota Vikings (2003–2005), Seattle Seahawks (2006–2009), Detroit Lions (2010–2013) – Honors: None – Seasons wearing #13: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 (Lions)

Michael Gallup

Position: Wide Receiver (WR) – Teams: Dallas Cowboys (2018–2023) – Honors: None – Seasons wearing #13: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Nelson Agholor

Position: Wide Receiver (WR) – Teams: Philadelphia Eagles (2015–2019), Las Vegas Raiders (2020), New England Patriots (2021–2022), Baltimore Ravens (2023–2024) – Honors: None – Seasons wearing #13: 2017, 2018, 2019 (Eagles)

Christian Kirk

Position: Wide Receiver (WR) – Teams: Arizona Cardinals (2018–2021), Jacksonville Jaguars (2022–2024), Houston Texans (2025) – Honors: None – Seasons wearing #13: 2018–2021 (Cardinals), 2022–2024 (Jaguars), 2025 (Texans)

Lance Rentzel

Position: Flanker / Wide Receiver / Halfback (WR/FL/HB) – Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1965–1966), Dallas Cowboys (1967–1970), Los Angeles Rams (1971–1974) – Honors: 1-time Second-Team All-Pro (1969), 0 Pro Bowls – Seasons wearing #13: 1971, 1972 (Rams)

Danny Kanell

Position: Quarterback – Teams (Years): New York Giants (1996–1998), Atlanta Falcons (1999–2000), Denver Broncos (2003–2004) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl selections: None – Seasons wearing #13: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

Trevor Siemian

Position: Quarterback – Teams (Years): Denver Broncos (2015–2017), Minnesota Vikings (2018), New York Jets (2019, 2023), Tennessee Titans (2020), New Orleans Saints (2020–2021), Chicago Bears (2022), Cincinnati Bengals (2023), Atlanta Falcons (2024–present) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl selections: None – Seasons wearing #13: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Tom Wittum

Position: Punter / Kicker – Teams (Years): San Francisco 49ers (1973–1977) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl selections: 2-time Pro Bowler (1973, 1974) – Seasons wearing #13: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977

Tim Rattay

Position: Quarterback – Teams (Years): San Francisco 49ers (2000–2005), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005–2006), Tennessee Titans (2007), Arizona Cardinals (2007) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl selections: None – Seasons wearing #13: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

Chris Givens

Position: Wide Receiver – Teams (Years): St. Louis Rams (2012–2015), Baltimore Ravens (2015), Philadelphia Eagles (2016) – All-Pro / Pro Bowl selections: None – Seasons wearing #13: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

---

A Legacy Beyond Unlucky: The Enduring Power of the No. 13

The number 13 is anything but unlucky when it comes to NFL history. From the moment Don Maynard revolutionized the passing game to the high-flying spectacles delivered by modern receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans, this jersey has been the uniform of innovators and record-breakers. The No. 13 club is home to some of the game’s greatest individual achievements, boasting a list that includes two-time MVP Kurt Warner.

Above all, the number is defined by the unmatched arm of Dan Marino, who spent his entire career under center wearing 13 and forever cemented the number’s place among the elite. When you see this jersey on the field today, it is a direct nod to a legacy of NFL legends who defied superstition and elevated the art of receiving and passing to spectacular heights. The debate over who is truly the greatest No. 13 will continue, but the jersey’s powerful history is undeniable.

Big thanks to Pro-Football-Reference.com for much of the info supplied.