Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
49ers announce jersey numbers of entire draft class, including No. 74
May 16, 2022 at 4:47 PM
•
Last week, we found out what numbers many of the San Francisco 49ers rookies would be wearing during the team's three-day rookie minicamp. Those numbers will be sticking around through at least the rest of the offseason program. Obviously, they are subject to change after roster cuts ahead of Week 1.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweeted out several rookie jersey numbers, including select undrafted free agents. Missing from his tweet, however, was the number of the 49ers' fifth-round draft pick, cornerback
Samuel Womack. The team announced that he will wear No. 26, last worn by cornerback Josh Norman.
Speaking of the last 49ers players to wear the numbers of the 2022 draft class, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area provided a list, pointing out that
Spencer Burford will wear No. 74—Joe Staley's old number. That created a bit of a reaction from fans on social media.
It is important to remember that the 49ers are moving away from retiring numbers. The team already has 12 retired numbers. Adding more to the list might create a problematic shortage down the road. Instead, the team honors past greats with its Ring of Honor at Levi's Stadium and the 49ers Hall of Fame.
The last retired jersey number was 80, belonging to the great Jerry Rice. San Francisco forever took that number out of rotation in 2010.
"
Retiring a number requires a pretty Herculean effort to get there, which it should," 49ers CEO Jed York told The Athletic in 2019. "With a ring of honor, I think you can honor more players that way. Again, if there's a specific reason to retire somebody's jersey, it doesn't preclude you from doing that."
Related News
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Podcast: 49ers OTAs Day 1 recap
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 24
Rohan Chakravarthi and Jessie Naylor break down Day 1 of the San Francisco 49ers OTAs that was available to media.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our dedicated podcast page, on
Kyle Shanahan feels "really fortunate" with 49ers' QB room
Kyle Shanahan praises his quarterback room every year. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers went through three starting quarterbacks and still made it to the NFC Championship Game. Trey Lance was the Week 1 starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury during his second game. Eleven weeks later, Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a broken foot.
That opened the door for rookie Brock Purdy to show his coaches and the NFL world that he belonged, despite being the last overall pick in the draft. Purdy guided the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before suffering a severe injury in that NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Two of the quarterbacks from last season—Lance and Purdy—remain. Both are just 23 years old. They are joined by Sam
5 position battles to watch for during 49ers OTAs
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 24
The San Francisco 49ers entered the offseason with several questions after key figures, such as Jimmie Ward, Mike McGlinchey, Samson Ebukam, and Charles Omenihu, departed in free agency, creating the possibility for position battles in organized team activities(OTAs) and training camp.
While several of the starting spots are solidified, there are still a few position battles to watch, as well as depth questions that could allow younger players to compete and take 53-man roster spots at the end of the offseason.
Let's break down some of those battles to watch and how they could play out for the 49ers, outside of the obvious competition at
Podcast: Questions that need to be answered during 49ers OTAs
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 24
Rohan Chakravarthi and Suneil discuss the quarterback competition and position battles to watch during the San Francisco 49ers' OTAs.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
?feature=share
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
