In his debut game with the Washington Commanders, Marcus Mariota will have already created history before he sets foot on the field. He will be the first quarterback in NFL history to wear number zero.
In free agency, Mariota agreed to a one-year contract with the Commanders. On Wednesday, the team revealed their other new acquisitions as well as his number choice.
Mariota’s new number is made possible by recently implemented NFL rule revisions. In March 2023, team owners decided to change the regulations so that the No. 0 may play for the first time in many years. Following an earlier change that allowed both offensive and defensive players to select a single-digit number, the choice was made.
Calvin Ridley, a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was the first player to claim the newly available zero in 2023. The move was made practically immediately after the rule changes were made public. After him, over 20 players—ranging from running backs to cornerback and beyond—decided to don the same number.
Linebacker Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys was quick to declare that he would wear the number zero at that moment, making reference to NBA player Gilbert Arenas, who was dubbed “Agent Zero” in his prime. In the end, Parsons stuck with number 11.
Mariota, 30, has experience creating history. In 2014, he became the first player from Oregon and the first native of Hawaii to win the Heisman Trophy. Nine seasons is nearly three times the typical career length in the NFL for a player like Mariota.
Mariota is also accustomed to changing her phone number. At Oregon, he wore No. 8. After going with the Tennessee Titans as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and landing as a backup with the Las Vegas Raiders, he kept wearing the number. When he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, he changed to the No. 1.
After playing with the Philadelphia Eagles the previous season and switching back to the No. 8 position, he joined the Commanders. He told NBC Sports Philadelphia that it was an ode to the eight Hawaiian Islands.
Since running back Brian Robinson wears No. 8 and wideout Jahan Dotson already wears No. 1, Mariota was forced to make changes in D.C.
The new number could be accompanied by a new opportunity for Mariota. The Commanders have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, which they will likely use on a new signal caller. The veteran quarterback could potentially compete with the rookie for playing time in 2024.
