Deebo Samuel changes his jersey to No. 1

San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel will wear the No. 1 jersey in 2024.Samuel, who has worn No. 19 throughout his NFL career, announced on social media that his jersey will be No. 1 this season. Samuel (whose full legal name is Tyshun Raequan Samuel) will also change his nameplate to "Samuel Sr." He's the father of Tyshun Jr.Several players have changed their jerseys to single-digit numbers since the NFL relaxed its uniform policies to allow more players to wear single digits. For many years, single-digit numbers were the domain only of quarterbacks, kickers and punters, but now every position except linemen can wear single digits.Samuel wore No. 1 in college at South Carolina, but when he entered the NFL, wide receivers couldn't wear single-digit jersey numbers. In 2021, when the NFL relaxed its jersey number rules, Samuel and safety Jimmie Ward both wanted No. 1, but Ward had priority because he had been with the 49ers longer. Ward left in free agency a year ago and no one wore No. 1 on the 49ers in 2023.Players who request an immediate number change are required to buy any unsold inventory of their jerseys, which can be quite expensive for popular players like Samuel,...