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Makai Lemon gets blessing to wear jersey number of Eagles franchise legend originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
For the first time in years, a Philadelphia Eagles player will wear the No. 9, and it's wide receiver Makai Lemon.
The number previously belonged to franchise legend and Super Bowl champion Nick Foles, who hasn't been with the team since 2018.
Lemon will be the first player to wear the digit since Foles' exit.
"It's gonna be nine," Lemon said. "I appreciate the Eagles so much, and Nick Foles especially to pass that number down because I know he could have easily kept that number to himself."
"Such a great player when he was here wearing that No. 9, led him to the Super Bowl, so I appreciate him so much," Lemon added.
"I definitely cherish that so much and I'll represent the nine well. I'm just super excited to get that number, for sure."
During his career at USC, Lemon wore the No. 6, but that digit is currently worn by fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
The fact that Foles was willing to give the number to Lemon shows the amount of respect he has for the first-round pick.
That's no small thing for Foles to do.
A big role in Year 1?
Lemon was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after the Eagles traded up to get him. He signed his rookie contract on Thursday prior to meeting with the media and revealing his jersey number.
Lemon almost ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In fact, he was on the phone with the Steelers, who notified the young wide receiver he was their pick before the Eagles swooped in and landed him.
"If we're being totally transparent, it wasn't like we were just trying to get to [pick No. 20]," general manager Howie Roseman told Mad Dog Sports Radio. "We were trying to get ahead of that pick, as well, because when you feel really strongly about a player, you think at every pick he's going."
It was a big move from Philly, a team that might move on from A.J. Brown this year.
Rumors have suggested the Eagles might trade Brown to the New England Patriots, so Lemon, who was widely viewed as one of the best receivers in the draft, could have a huge role right off the bat in his first year.
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