The Giants Unretire the Number One Jersey
Malik Nabers feels good about playing for the New York Giants this season. He received permission to wear the Giants' number one jersey, which has been retired for well over 90 years. That is why no Giants player has ever been seen wearing it. The roster was made for the team, but Nabers did not have a number but asked to have one number in particular. John Mara and Ray Flaherty Jr. made this big decision on the Giants' part.
The number one was used when the Giants started playing in 1925 but was retired in 1935 in honor of Ray Flaherty Sr. The former ended up spending his entire career playing in New York. He played for the Yankees until the franchise folded in 1929. After that, he moved to the NFL, where he spent the last six seasons playing for the Giants. He led in the NFL with 21 receptions, 350 yards, and received five touchdowns during the 1932 Giants season. The number hasn’t been used since his retirement in 1935, and that being said, Flaherty was the very first NFL jersey ever to be retired in the NFL before it became what it is today.
Nabers had special permission to use the number after he could not find a good fit. He played most of the preseason and throughout training camps using the numbers eight and nine. However, Graham Gano already plays on the field with the number nine. He could not use his college number; only Daniel Jones played his position with the number eight, which was Nabers' number while he was in college.
This is something extraordinary that the Giants did. It is considered to be a bar for any player. The meaning behind the number is definitely important, and Nabers has a lot to live up to for this coming season. He did not become a historical figure in New York, but he will definitely have to leave his mark when he retires. Nabers is considered to be the Giants' highest-drafted wide receiver, as they selected him with their sixth pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Nabers does have his work cut out for him in all aspects and has something to live up to. The Giants have not had a receiver surpass 800 yards since Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard in 2018.
