The New England Patriots officially announced their first wave of free agency signings on Thursday, and with them a bunch of new jersey numbers.
A total of eight such new numbers were revealed, including seven belonging to the team’s recent additions. The eighth will be worn by sophomore safety Craig Woodson, who moved on from his previous digit in an exchange with veteran pickup Kevin Byard.
“We talked yesterday. I think we came to a little agreement,” Byard told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. “I’ve been wearing 31 my entire career and I don’t really want to change numbers.”
While the 10-year veteran Byard will keep the No. 31 jersey he had worn throughout his career in the NFL, Woodson has now moved to No. 4.
In full, the list of new Patriots jersey numbers looks as follows:
Byard was not the only free agency pickup trying to secure a jersey number he had previously worn. Fullback Reggie Gilliam, who donned No. 41 during his time with the Buffalo Bills, hoped for a switch with safety Brenden Schooler but the team captain was not quite as flexible as Craig Woodson.
Also set to wear new numbers relative to their histories are edge Dre’Mont Jones, safety Mike Brown and tight end Julian Hill. Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and wide receiver Romeo Doubs, on the other hand, will continue wearing the same digits they had on their jerseys before arriving in New England.
As of Thursday, five Patriots — RB Elijah Mitchell, OT Sebastian Gutierrez, ED Jesse Luketa, LB K.J. Britt, CB Brandon Crossley — remain without jersey numbers.