Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) looks on before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Buccaneers' Tom Brady criticizes new NFL jersey number rule

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Apr 22, 2021 3:54 PM ET

NFL owners have officially approved a rule change that will allow running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, linebackers and defensive backs to wear single-digit numbers on their jerseys beginning next season. Several players around the NFL tweeted their support of the shift, but not everyone is a fan.

According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady criticized the new rule via his Instagram story. "Good luck trying to block the right people now!" Brady wrote. "Going to make for a lot of bad football!"

Brady continued:

Tom Brady is NOT happy about the new NFL number rule pic.twitter.com/0wE9Te15Nj
— PFF (@PFF) April 22, 2021

While this may seem like an instance of "old man yells at cloud" or "get off my lawn," Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated's MMQB tweeted that the 43-year-old signal-caller makes some valid points.

What @TomBrady is referencing is a real concern coaches have talked about. Some feel like the prospect of more confusion among lineman, and potential for more free runs at QBs, runs counter to what the league has done historically.

Will be interesting to see if it's a problem https://t.co/F4zkDgFKN5
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 22, 2021

There's less substitution and specialization in college, so it's less of a problem at that level. When you're rolling guys on and off the field, like defenses do in the NFL, more chance of confusion. https://t.co/RvOVN85mRh
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 22, 2021

Understandably, not everybody in the football community feels too sorry for Brady.

Tell the O Linemen to pretend like they're still in college and have to identify players by more than just their number block https://t.co/3I8qbj7u8k
— Bobby Carpenter (@Bcarp3) April 22, 2021

We're confident Brady will eventually figure things out during the fall.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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