Nothing annoys NFL fans more than seeing which jersey numbers their favorite players wear each season. In the case of Mac Jones, however, his number can run into some confusion.
During the Patriots’ training camp, Jones – New England’s 15th overall selection – wore a rather unusual number. The former Alabama quarterback wears the number 50, which is unusual for a quarterback, even at training camp.
Why does Jones wear such a high number? And will that change before his preseason debut on Thursday against the Washington Football Team? Here’s everything you need to know about Jones’ jersey situation ahead of the 2021 NFL preseason and regular season.
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Why is Mac Jones wearing the number 50 during Patriots training camp?
Jones wears the # 50 jersey as part of a Patriots training camp tradition. As explained by AL.com, Bill Belichick and his staff assign the No. 50 jersey to the first rookie selected in the draft each year. The second selected rookie wears the # 51 jersey and so on. This process will continue until all drafted rookies have jersey numbers. Exceptions to this rule are jerseys # 56 and # 57: # 56 has not been worn since Andre Tippett’s resignation in 1993, while jersey 57 has been withdrawn in honor of Steve Nelson.
Following this procedure, the undrafted rookies are assigned the remaining numbers in alphabetical order.
These are the numbers each of the Patriots’ eight drafted rookies will wear during training camp:
| Jersey number | player | position |
| 50 | Mac Jones | Quarterback |
| 51 | Christian Barmore | Defensive tackle |
| 52 | Ronnie Perkins | Edge rusher |
| 53 | Rhammondre Stevenson | Back race |
| 54 | Cameron McGrone | Linebacker |
| 55 | Joshua Bledsoe | security |
| 58 | William Sherman | Offensive tackle |
| 59 | Tre Nixon | Broad receiver |
As strange as it is to see a quarterback in jersey # 50, it goes without saying in the Patriots camp. And this number will certainly not belong to Jones for long.
Will Mac Jones wear the number 50 during preseason?
Jones will no longer wear the number 50 once the 2021 NFL preseason kicks off. At this point, he must wear one of the numbers within the specified range for quarterbacks, which is 1-19. So he won’t be number 50 until the beginning of the training camp.
2021 STANDARD FANTASY RANKING:
Quarterback | Run back | Wide-angle receiver | Narrow end | D / ST | Kicker | Highest 200
What number will Mac Jones wear in the 2021 season?
As mentioned earlier, Jones will have the option of any number 1-19 during the 2021 NFL season. However, 13 Patriots players have already claimed jersey numbers within this designation. They are as follows:
| Jersey number | player | position |
| 1 | Newton cams | Quarterback |
| 2 | Jalen Mills | Defensive back |
| 4th | Jarrett Stidham | Quarterback |
| 5 | Brian Hoyer | Quarterback |
| 6th | Nick Folk | Kicker |
| 7th | Jake Bailey | Gambler |
| 8th | Yes’Whaun Bentley | Linebacker |
| 9 | Matthew Judon | Edge rusher |
| 13th | Nelson Agholor | Broad receiver |
| fifteen | N’Keal Harry | Broad receiver |
| 17th | Kristian Wilkerson | Broad receiver |
| 18th | Matthew Slater | Broad receiver |
| 19th | Isaiah Zuber | Broad receiver |
So that gives Jones a choice of 3, 10, 11, 12, 14 or 16 for his jersey. We can almost certainly eliminate the number 12 jersey, however, considering that Tom Brady wore that number during his time with the Patriots.
So 3, 10, 11, 14, or 16 are Jones’ likely options. Jones wore the # 10 jersey during his time in Alabama, so it would be no surprise to see him with the Patriots as well.
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