Plain retired style numerals on the upper deck facade of an empty stadium at dusk

Every NFL Team's Retired Numbers (2026 List)

No number is retired across the entire NFL. Retired numbers in the NFL are team decisions, and as of the 2026 season the Chicago Bears have the most, with 14. Four clubs (the Cowboys, Raiders, Ravens and Texans) have no retired numbers, the Saints have put their two old retirements back into circulation, and Reggie White is the only player whose number is retired by two teams, No. 92 in Green Bay and Philadelphia.

Are any numbers retired league wide in the NFL?

No. The 2026 NFL rulebook assigns every number from 0 to 99 to at least one position, and retirements happen club by club. The rulebook even puts limits on team retirements: clubs must make legal numbers available to their players "even if it requires returning to circulation a numeral that has been retired or withheld for other reasons." Our guide to NFL jersey number rules by position explains the ranges that make this necessary.

Every NFL team's retired numbers

The list below follows the Pro Football Hall of Fame's team facts pages for all 32 clubs, updated with team announcements for 2025 and 2026. A number shared by more than one player counts once.

Team Retired numbers Count
Arizona Cardinals 8 Larry Wilson; 40 Pat Tillman; 77 Stan Mauldin; 88 J.V. Cain; 99 Marshall Goldberg (11 Larry Fitzgerald set for Oct. 25, 2026) 5
Atlanta Falcons 10 Steve Bartkowski; 31 William Andrews; 57 Jeff Van Note; 60 Tommy Nobis (listed by the Hall of Fame; see note below) 4 listed
Baltimore Ravens None 0
Buffalo Bills 12 Jim Kelly; 34 Thurman Thomas; 78 Bruce Smith 3
Carolina Panthers 51 Sam Mills 1
Chicago Bears 3 Bronko Nagurski; 5 George McAfee; 7 George Halas; 28 Willie Galimore; 34 Walter Payton; 40 Gale Sayers; 41 Brian Piccolo; 42 Sid Luckman; 51 Dick Butkus; 56 Bill Hewitt; 61 Bill George; 66 Bulldog Turner; 77 Red Grange; 89 Mike Ditka 14
Cincinnati Bengals 54 Bob Johnson 1
Cleveland Browns 14 Otto Graham; 32 Jim Brown; 45 Ernie Davis; 46 Don Fleming; 76 Lou Groza 5
Dallas Cowboys None 0
Denver Broncos 7 John Elway; 18 Frank Tripucka; 44 Floyd Little 3
Detroit Lions 7 Dutch Clark; 20 Lem Barney, Billy Sims and Barry Sanders; 22 Bobby Layne; 37 Doak Walker; 56 Joe Schmidt; 85 Chuck Hughes 6
Green Bay Packers 3 Tony Canadeo; 4 Brett Favre; 14 Don Hutson; 15 Bart Starr; 66 Ray Nitschke; 92 Reggie White 6
Houston Texans None 0
Indianapolis Colts 18 Peyton Manning; 19 Johnny Unitas; 22 Buddy Young; 24 Lenny Moore; 70 Art Donovan; 77 Jim Parker; 82 Raymond Berry; 89 Gino Marchetti 8
Jacksonville Jaguars 71 Tony Boselli 1
Kansas City Chiefs 3 Jan Stenerud; 16 Len Dawson; 18 Emmitt Thomas; 28 Abner Haynes; 33 Stone Johnson; 36 Mack Lee Hill; 58 Derrick Thomas; 63 Willie Lanier; 78 Bobby Bell; 86 Buck Buchanan 10
Las Vegas Raiders None 0
Los Angeles Chargers 14 Dan Fouts; 18 Charlie Joiner; 19 Lance Alworth; 21 LaDainian Tomlinson; 55 Junior Seau; 80 Kellen Winslow 6
Los Angeles Rams 7 Bob Waterfield; 28 Marshall Faulk; 29 Eric Dickerson; 74 Merlin Olsen; 75 Deacon Jones; 78 Jackie Slater; 80 Isaac Bruce; 85 Jack Youngblood 8
Miami Dolphins 12 Bob Griese; 13 Dan Marino; 39 Larry Csonka 3
Minnesota Vikings 10 Fran Tarkenton; 53 Mick Tingelhoff; 70 Jim Marshall; 77 Korey Stringer; 80 Cris Carter; 88 Alan Page 6
New England Patriots 12 Tom Brady; 20 Gino Cappelletti; 40 Mike Haynes; 57 Steve Nelson; 73 John Hannah; 78 Bruce Armstrong; 79 Jim Lee Hunt; 89 Bob Dee 8
New Orleans Saints None (31 Jim Taylor and 81 Doug Atkins were retired, but both are worn again; see note below) 0
New York Giants 1 Ray Flaherty; 4 Tuffy Leemans; 7 Mel Hein; 10 Eli Manning; 11 Phil Simms; 14 Ward Cuff and Y.A. Tittle; 16 Frank Gifford; 32 Al Blozis; 40 Joe Morrison; 42 Charlie Conerly; 50 Ken Strong; 56 Lawrence Taylor; 92 Michael Strahan 13
New York Jets 12 Joe Namath; 13 Don Maynard; 28 Curtis Martin; 73 Joe Klecko; 90 Dennis Byrd 5
Philadelphia Eagles 5 Donovan McNabb; 15 Steve Van Buren; 20 Brian Dawkins; 40 Tom Brookshier; 44 Pete Retzlaff; 60 Chuck Bednarik; 70 Al Wistert; 92 Reggie White; 99 Jerome Brown 9
Pittsburgh Steelers 32 Franco Harris; 70 Ernie Stautner; 75 Joe Greene 3
San Francisco 49ers 8 Steve Young; 12 John Brodie; 16 Joe Montana; 34 Joe Perry; 37 Jimmy Johnson; 39 Hugh McElhenny; 42 Ronnie Lott; 70 Charlie Krueger; 73 Leo Nomellini; 79 Bob St. Clair; 80 Jerry Rice; 87 Dwight Clark 12
Seattle Seahawks 12 The Fans; 45 Kenny Easley; 71 Walter Jones; 80 Steve Largent; 96 Cortez Kennedy 5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 55 Derrick Brooks; 63 Lee Roy Selmon; 99 Warren Sapp 3
Tennessee Titans 1 Warren Moon (worn by Cam Ward with Moon's blessing); 9 Steve McNair; 27 Eddie George; 34 Earl Campbell; 43 Jim Norton; 63 Mike Munchak; 65 Elvin Bethea; 74 Bruce Matthews 8
Washington Commanders 9 Sonny Jurgensen; 21 Sean Taylor; 28 Darrell Green; 33 Sammy Baugh; 49 Bobby Mitchell; 81 Art Monk (44 John Riggins set for Nov. 8, 2026) 6

Which NFL team has the most retired numbers?

The Chicago Bears have the most retired numbers in the NFL, with 14, from Bronko Nagurski's 3 to Mike Ditka's 89, per the Hall of Fame. The New York Giants honor 14 players, but Ward Cuff and Y.A. Tittle share No. 14, so the Giants have 13 retired numbers, per the Hall of Fame's Giants page. The 49ers follow with 12 and the Chiefs with 10.

The Lions have a unique case. Detroit's No. 20 is retired for three players at once, Lem Barney, Billy Sims and Barry Sanders, per the Hall of Fame.

NFL teams that do not retire numbers

Four NFL teams have no retired numbers: the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. ESPN's team by team list recorded all four as "No numbers retired," and the Hall of Fame's current Raiders page still reads "None." Dallas instead honors its greats in the Ring of Honor, which lists 24 members on the team's site.

Two more franchises come with an asterisk:

  • New Orleans Saints: the Hall of Fame still lists 31 for Jim Taylor and 81 for Doug Atkins, but both numbers are back in use. Defensive back Jordan Howden wears 31 and receiver Kevin Austin Jr. wears 81 on the Saints' 2026 roster.
  • Atlanta Falcons: the Hall of Fame lists 10 (Steve Bartkowski), 31 (William Andrews), 57 (Jeff Van Note) and 60 (Tommy Nobis), as did ESPN in 2016. Yet safety Xavier Watts wears 31 on the Falcons' 2026 roster, so at least one of those numbers is in circulation again.

Newest NFL retired numbers, 2024 to 2026

Several clubs have added to their lists recently, and two more ceremonies are on the 2026 calendar:

Date Team Number and player
June 12, 2024 New England Patriots 12 Tom Brady, retired at his Patriots Hall of Fame induction
Nov. 2, 2025 Washington Commanders 81 Art Monk, retired during the Week 9 game against Seattle
Oct. 25, 2026 (scheduled) Arizona Cardinals 11 Larry Fitzgerald, at halftime against Denver, the sixth retired number in team history
Nov. 8, 2026 (scheduled) Washington Commanders 44 John Riggins, during the game against the Rams

Before Brady, the Steelers retired Franco Harris' 32 on December 24, 2022, the third number the club has officially retired, after Ernie Stautner's 70 and Joe Greene's 75.

Can a retired NFL number be worn again?

Yes, and it happens in three ways. A club can unretire a number, as the Saints did. The rulebook can force a number back into use if a player needs it to meet the position rules. And a legend can simply give his blessing: Warren Moon's No. 1 was retired by the Titans in 2006, but Moon approved rookie quarterback Cam Ward wearing it, ESPN reported in April 2025, and Ward wears No. 1 in Tennessee today.

The only NFL team to retire a number for its fans

The Seattle Seahawks are the only team in the list above whose retired number honors someone other than a player or coach. Seattle's No. 12 is retired for "The Fans," per the Hall of Fame, alongside Kenny Easley's 45, Walter Jones' 71, Steve Largent's 80 and Cortez Kennedy's 96.

Which NFL players have their numbers retired by two teams?

Reggie White is the only one. The defensive end's No. 92 is retired by both the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Green Bay's list of six also includes Brett Favre's 4 and Bart Starr's 15; read more in our look at why the Packers are called the Packers.

Jerseys of players with retired numbers

Several of the numbers in this list live on as fan jerseys. The NFL collection includes the Walter Payton Bears jersey, the Barry Sanders Lions jersey and the Pat Tillman Cardinals jersey.

Frequently asked questions

Are there any numbers retired by the entire NFL?

No. The NFL has no league wide retired number. The rulebook assigns every number from 0 to 99 to at least one position, and retirements are made by individual teams. The rulebook even requires clubs to return a retired number to circulation if a player needs it to comply with the position rules.

Which NFL team has the most retired numbers?

The Chicago Bears have the most retired numbers in the NFL, with 14, including Walter Payton's 34, Dick Butkus' 51 and Mike Ditka's 89. The New York Giants honor 14 players too, but two of them share No. 14, so the Giants have 13 retired numbers. The 49ers are next with 12.

Have the Dallas Cowboys retired any numbers?

No. The Dallas Cowboys have no retired jersey numbers. The team's highest honor for former players is its Ring of Honor, which lists 24 members on the Cowboys' website. The Raiders, Ravens and Texans also have no retired numbers, and the Saints have put their two formerly retired numbers back in use.

How many numbers have the Packers retired?

The Green Bay Packers have retired six numbers: Tony Canadeo's 3, Brett Favre's 4, Don Hutson's 14, Bart Starr's 15, Ray Nitschke's 66 and Reggie White's 92. White's 92 is also retired by the Philadelphia Eagles, making him the only player with his number retired by two NFL teams.

Can an NFL player wear a retired number?

Yes, in some cases. Teams can unretire numbers, the rulebook can force a retired number back into use if a player needs it to meet the position ranges, and a legend can give permission. Titans quarterback Cam Ward wears Warren Moon's retired No. 1 after Moon gave his blessing in 2025.

Sources

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