FOXBORO, Mass. — A couple of months ago, Christian Gonzalez had no hope of keeping his college number upon entering the NFL.
But things are different now.
The NFL in late March introduced a rule change that enables players to wear No. 0. The Patriots player seemingly most likely to wear the number was cornerback Jack Jones, but he recently said he’d keep No. 13 for next season.
So, that creates an opportunity for Gonzalez, New England’s first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, to wear the number he wore while at Oregon. The 20-year-old cornerback was asked about wearing No. 0 during a media event at Gillette Stadium on Friday.
“I mean, if it’s open,” Gonzalez said. “But it’s not a big deal to me.”
Gonzalez spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Colorado before transferring to Oregon. While at Colorado, he wore Nos. 3 and 21.
Those numbers currently are occupied by Patriots safeties Jabrill Peppers and Adrian Phillips, respectively, though Peppers recently suggested his switching to the No. 5 he wore at Michigan.
It’s worth noting that when Gonzalez debuts during offseason practices, he likely will wear a random, temporary number — a standard treatment for rookies in New England. After that, he’ll be assigned his permanent number, be it No. 0 or something else.
