The Story of 88, and whether or not the Cowboys could un-retire legendary jersey numbers
The Story of 88, and whether or not the Cowboys could un-retire legendary jersey numbers The Cowboys don't retire jerseys, but they do hold a few out from distribution. Could that change?
Let's pretend for a minute that NFL football will still exist in the Year 2125 and that actual human beings and not avatars are suiting up in uniform to tote the rock across the line of scrimmage. At some point, barring cryogenics and technology of similar ilk, Jerry Jones will no longer be the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. And once that happens, there is going to be a shift in franchise policies and traditions.
Perhaps in some iteration of the future, the team that doesn't currently officially retire any jersey decides that the franchise's best players are no longer revered enough to have their numbers removed from circulation. Who would be the first of these numbers handed out?
This may be a stretch, but the idea would be that the hallowed numbers would be used in a similar fashion to how No. 88 is currently. Since Drew Pearson's retirement, the No. 88 jersey has become a symbol that signifies a franchise-altering talent at the wide receiver position.
Jones didn't believe in this initially. After Pearson retired in 1983, future Hall of Famer Michael Irvin was the first to wear 88 when he was drafted out of the University of Miami in, wait for it, 1988. Irvin actually made the Hall before Pearson, who wasn't inducted until 2021, but the wrong was righted.
Irvin didn't wear 88 in college, rather he was No. 47, but he sought permission to wear the number from Pearson and this began the reverence.
Jones didn't care much for this at first. After Irvin retired in 1999, the jersey number was given to TE Jackie Harris, a player who never sniffed even a Pro Bowl in his 12-year career. It was then given to WR Antonio Bryant, in 2002, as Jones was now knee-deep in the business if trying to spin the Cowboys out of irrelevance following the crumbling of the dynasty.
Bryant's departure in 2004 led to No. 88 being given to tight end Brett Pierce, who caught all of two career passes in 2005 before it was finally placed back in the shelf. That lasted until 2010 when a true heir emerged in Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant. Bryant was a worthy follow-up to Pearson and Irvin's greatness. Though the Cowboys didn't win a championship with Bryant, he was a dominant receiver during his run, setting the Cowboys' franchise record for receiving touchdowns (73).
After Bryant's final game with the Cowboys in 2017, no one rocked No. 88 until the team drafted CeeDee Lamb in 2020 and Jones imparted the importance of the number in convincing the Oklahoma product to don the honor. Lamb has served it well, becoming one of the league's top receivers and is well on his way to making his mark in the club's record books.
Would the team of the future ever look to follow this model?
Currently jersey numbers 8, 12, 22 and 82 are out of rotation for the Cowboys. Those of course belong to QB Troy Aikman, QB Roger Staubach, RB Emmitt Smith and TE Jason Witten. It's too soon to tell if Zack Martin's No. 70 will follow suit after he retired this spring. Tyron Smith's No. 77 sat dormant last season, but is currently given to Saahdiq Charles during the offseason; it remains to be seen if he makes the roster and if so if the number goes with it.
So that's four, potentially six jersey numbers that are out of rotation at the moment. Which would be the first worn by someone else?
It feels like Witten's 82 would be the most likely to become a tradition. For one, there was a star TE who wore it before him, Frank Clarke during the 1960s. If the club ever took a tight end in the top half of the first round, this could be someone the team wanted to bestow such honors on. Imagine if the Cowboys had been able to draft Georgia's Brock Bowers in 2024; that would have been a pick worthy of starting the new tradition.
Running back, in today's game at least, seems much too hard to predict, and as long as Smith holds the all-time rushing record, the franchise wouldn't want to diminish that luster.
The quarterback position feels like one where star players drafted highly, which the Cowboys haven't even attempted since grabbing Aikman out of UCLA in 1989 with the No. 1 overall pick, will want to chart their own paths and not live in any shadows or expectations.
Perhaps offensive line, if a few years pass before 70 or 77 are used again, would be options for passing of the baton.
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