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Eagles first-rounder Makai Lemon to become first to wear No. 9 since Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles
TL;DR
Makai Lemon, the Philadelphia Eagles' first-round draft pick, will wear No. 9, previously worn by Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. Lemon received Foles' blessing to take the number, which had been unofficially retired since Foles' departure.
Key points
- Makai Lemon is the first Eagles player to wear No. 9 since Nick Foles
- Foles won Super Bowl MVP while wearing No. 9
- Lemon received Foles' blessing to wear the number
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles took Makai Lemon from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Makai Lemon is taking the No. 9 jersey number from Nick Foles. With Folesā blessing, of course.
The Eagles first-rounder announced he would be donning the No. 9 while speaking with the media during rookie minicamp on Thursday, ending what was apparently an unofficial retirement of the number. He will be the first Eagles player to wear it since Foles, who won MVP honors for the teamās first Super Bowl championship in 2018.
Lemon said he appreciated Foles letting him have the number:
āAppreciate the Eagles so much, 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 them to the Super Bowl, so I appreciate him so much.
āI definitely cherish that and Iāll represent the 9 well ā¦ Iām just super excited to get that number.ā
Foles played five total seasons across two different tenures with the Eagles, wearing the No. 9 throughout. He last played in the NFL in 2022, as a back-up for the Indianapolis Colts, before retiring in 2024 via a one-day contract with the Eagles.
Officially, the Eagles have nine retired numbers: 5 (Donovan McNabb), 15 (Steve Van Buren), 20 (Brian Dawkins), 40 (Tom Brookshier), 44 (Pete Retzlaff), 60 (Chuck Bednarik), 70 (Al Wistert), 92 (Reggie White) and 99 (Jerome Brown).
The Eagles selected Lemon with the 20th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, executing a trade to leapfrog the Pittsburgh Steelers at 21. Lemon had actually been on the phone with the Steelers when the Eagles called him to let him known what they had done, in one of the more fun stories of the night.
Q&A
Why is Makai Lemon wearing No. 9 for the Eagles?
Makai Lemon is wearing No. 9 with the blessing of Nick Foles, who previously wore the number and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory.
When was the last time No. 9 was worn by an Eagles player?
No. 9 was last worn by Nick Foles, who played for the Eagles during their Super Bowl championship season in 2018.
What did Makai Lemon say about wearing No. 9?
Makai Lemon expressed gratitude to Nick Foles for allowing him to wear No. 9 and stated he would represent the number well.