Commanders retire Darrell Green’s No.28 jersey

The Washington Commanders announced today that they will retire Darrell Green’s No. 28 jersey during the 2024 NFL season. Green, who still holds several NFL records, retired after the 2002 season as the oldest defensive back in league history (aged 42).

Fifth jersey withdrawn by Washington

He becomes the fifth Commanders player to have their jersey withdrawn, following in the footsteps of legendary No.33 Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell, whose No.49 was officially retired in June 2020, Sean Taylor’s No.21 was pulled the following year and Sonny Jurgensen, whose No.9 was retired in 2022. Green’s No.28 has been vacant since he called time on his playing career after the 2002 season.

Commanders owner Josh Harris said in a statement posted on X: “Darrell Green’s legacy transcends the boundaries of the football field. Throughout his remarkable career, Green embodied the value of excellence, perseverance and sportsmanship on and off the field. His speed, skill and dedication to the game and our community for a record 20 years earned him the nickname ‘The Ageless Wonder’ and made him a beloved figured in Washington, DC, and beyond.

“Retiring Darrell Green’s jersey symbolizes our commitment to preserving the rich history and tradition of our franchise. His presence as one of the greatest players to ever wear the Burgundy and Gold will be forever felt at Commanders Field, serving as an inspiration to current and future generations of players, coaches and fans.”

Green “blown away”

Green was delighted with the news, and said, “I’m humbly grateful. I feel like crying just thinking about it right now. This means a ton to me. I never thought about this, never dreamed about it, never asked about it, whatever. But when it was spoken to me, it blew me away. It caught me. It touched something down on the inside of me that I didn’t know was there. So now I’m very humbled by this, but this is huge. This is a big deal, and I’m grateful for that. And I’m that guy that played the whole career here, wasn’t chasing the money and stuff, and it just kind of, in many ways, it just validated, man, I made the right decision.”

Known for his blistering pace, Green is rated as being one of the fastest players in NFL history - while Xavier Worthy holds the official 40-yard dash record at 40.21 seconds, set at this year’s NFL Combine, Green reportedly clocked 40.9 during a training camp with Washington in 1986.

He also holds 12 NFL records to this day, including the most games played by a defensive player (295) and the most consecutive seasons with an interception (19) as well as a number of team records for Washington such as the most game starts (258) and the most games played (295) and the most consecutive seasons (20). Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2008, and said during his acceptance speech: “There’s two things that I know: Number one, no matter how gifted you are, or how hard you work, there’s no one willing to give you an opportunity, it doesn’t mean a thing. Secondly, I believe that this day is a part of the continuation of God’s sovereign purpose and righteous destiny for my life”.