For the last couple of seasons, No. 39 has been a mainstay in the Detroit Lions secondary. Jerry Jacobs quickly rose from undrafted rookie to starting outside cornerback, and he’s projected to start in Week 1 against Kansas City.
He might not be wearing the same jersey number, however.
Jacobs posted to X (formerly Twitter) a copy of a text that appears to indicate he got the okay from the Lions to change his jersey from 39 to 23.
2️⃣3️⃣!!!! pic.twitter.com/s3vlUMXgJU
— Jerry Jacobs (@_luhjerry) August 30, 2023
The No. 23 jersey belonged to fellow DB Saivion Smith, but Smith was waived with an injury. With the 23 up for grabs, Jacobs pounced on it like a hungry lion.