Rules changes this year allowed most NFL players to choose from a wider selection of jersey numbers than in past seasons and the offseason saw many stories of players announcing uniform changes.
Two Panthers linebackers took their change right down to the wire. The Panthers announced shortly before Sunday’s season opener against the Jets that Shaq Thompson will wear No. 7 and Jermaine Carter will wear No. 4.
Thompson wore the same number while in college at Washington.
The timing of the announcement suggests the Panthers wanted to give Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson one more thing to think about when looking at the Panthers defense in his NFL debut. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has been a vocal opponent of the rule change because of the confusion it causes for offenses, but it’s something he, Wilson, and other quarterbacks will have to deal with this season.