Philadelphia Eagles rookie Makai Lemon has gotten the green light to bring back a jersey number that means a lot to the city he’s moving to.
Lemon shared on Thursday that he would be wearing the No. 9 when he takes the field for the Eagles this season. The number has not been used since the 2018 season, when a certain backup quarterback by the name of Nick Foles was still slinging passes in Philly.
“I appreciate the Eagles so much. Nick Foles, especially, to pass that number down,” Lemon told reporters.
“He could have easily kept that number to himself. Such a great player when he was here, wearing that number 9. Led them to the Super Bowl. … I’ll represent the 9 well.”
The USC product said that he was well aware that the number had not been used for several years. Lemon added that he had a phone call with Foles, who wanted to “pass that number over” to him. Foles was the first to tell Lemon that he was getting the go-ahead to rock the No. 9.
Fortunately for Lemon, there were no take-backs (so far) from his call with Foles. That wasn’t the case during the NFL draft, when Lemon was on the phone with the wrong team before hearing his name called.
Lemon wore No. 6 in his final season with the Trojans. That number is already taken by fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who also used No. 6 during his four years at Alabama.
