Could NFL rule prevent Antonio Brown from wearing No. 84 with Patriots?

Antonio Brown spent a good portion of the offseason battling with the NFL over a helmet that no longer meets safety requirements, and he may have to go to war again if he wants to wear the same jersey number in 2019 that he has worn throughout his entire career.

Brown has already been posting photoshops and artwork on his social media pages that feature him wearing a No. 84 New England Patriots jersey. However, he was still listed as having no jersey number on the team’s official roster as of Tuesday afternoon. There could be a couple of reasons for that.

For starters, No. 84 is already occupied by veteran tight end Ben Watson, who changed his mind about retiring to sign with the Patriots this offseason. Watson was asked about the jersey number during an appearance on “Fox and Friends” this week, and he said he would “love to keep” it.

“The reason why I took 84 … I’ve been an 82 since I left New England (as a free agent in 2010) … And the reason why I took 84 back was because it was the number I was drafted in, the number I had when I was with the Patriots before, the number I felt like I would finish the circle in,” Watson said.

That’s one potential obstacle for Brown, though he could probably work out a deal with Watson. Brown is expected to play against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, while Watson will still be suspended three more games for performance-enhancing drug use. But as John Breech of CBS notes, the NFL has a rule in place that prevents players from changing jersey numbers once the regular season begins. The rule states that special exceptions can be made.

“Special exceptions to this rule may be considered by the NFL Football Operations department depending on the circumstances (e.g., player traded to another team),” the rule reads.

It’s unclear if that will apply to Brown, who was not on an active roster in Week 1, or Watson, who was suspended. However, Brown was not traded to the Patriots and signed with them as a free agent. He may have to appeal to the NFL if Watson agrees to let him wear No. 84.

Given the great lengths Brown went to in an attempt to get the NFL to approve his outdated helmet, you have to wonder if he will take no for an answer with jersey No. 84. Bill Belichick doesn’t seem overly concerned about Brown causing issues in New England, but we’re interested to see how it plays out.