Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams (17) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium
Many professional athletes are attached to a certain jersey number and are willing to fork over a significant sum to acquire it if it’s already taken when they join a new team. That’s the route Davante Adams tried to take when he joined the Jets, and a rookie who tried to extort him ended up regretting that decision after missing out on a sizable payday.
There are some athletes who could not care less about the number on their jersey, but I’d argue most people who play a sport for a living are partial to certain digits.
The number you rock may not have any real impact when it comes to how you perform, but there can be a minor psychological aspect for some players who’ve picked one for motivation. There are also others who’ve stuck with one they were assigned from a young age or opted for a certain one to pay tribute to someone they admired or nod to something significant in their journey through life.
Davante Adams is more of a creature of habit, as he rocked #15 at Fresno State but has stuck with #17 since arriving in the NFL in 2014. He’s worn it for every team he’s played for, although he had to go all the way to the top after encountering an issue during his brief stint with the Jets.
Davante Adams went straight to Woody Johnson after a rookie demanded $1 million for his jersey when he joined the Jets
The most common situation for a jersey number swap occurs when a player joins a new team after signing as a free agent or landing there via a trade.
There’s an unspoken locker room rule about how they’re supposed to be handled, as less accomplished players are expected to defer to veterans and notable producers who will typically give them a lavish gift or a significant amount of cash to compensate them for their sacrifice.
That was the route Davante Adams attempted to go when he was traded from the Raiders to the Jets midway through the season in 2024. His #17 was already claimed by rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley, and during a recent conversation with Taylor Lewan, he said he offered him “$17,000 in cash” to give it up while pledging to replace any jerseys his family had already purchased.
A Jets rookie tried to charge Davante Adams $1 Million for the number 17 😂 pic.twitter.com/zL8WhFoGwY
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) August 4, 2026
However, he was rebuffed after Corley hit him with a counteroffer by stating, “I’m going to need a million,” a ploy that backfired after Adams went straight to Jets owner Woody Johnson and secured possession of his desired number without having to pay a penny (this isn’t the first time Adams has told this story, but it is the first time he revealed how he ended up getting the number).
Corley was “only” getting paid $785,000 to play for the Jets that season, so while I can understand why he would have liked to make an easy $1 million, the man who literally had one reception for four yards when he issued his demands certainly misplayed his hand.