The Washington Commanders are about to take a big step toward the future of the franchise in the 2024 NFL draft. That hasn’t stopped them from honoring one of the most important parts of their past.
The Commanders announced on April 25 that they will retire Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green’s No. 28 jersey in 2024 — breaking the news on the same day as the first round of the 2024 draft.
“The National Football League said I was (one of the) greatest 100 (players of all time),” Green told The Athletic’s Ben Standig. “The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the writers (selection committee) said I was a Hall of Famer. But this is my family saying this. The people I live with. Who I work with, that I was a part of that’s saying … we want to honor you at the highest level.”
Green will be the fifth player in franchise history to have his number retired following quarterback Sonny Jurgensen (No. 9), free safety Sean Taylor (No. 21), quarterback Sammy Baugh (No. 33) and running back Bobby Mitchell (No. 49).
Darrell Green: Fastest NFL Player of All Time?
Washington selected Green with the final pick of the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft — widely regarded as one of the best drafts in the history of professional sports.
Green was selected No. 28 overall out of NCAA Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville and was one of seven Pro Football Hall of Famers selected in the first round.
Green played all 20 seasons of his NFL career with Washington, winning two Super Bowls while making 7 Pro Bowls and earning NFL All-Pro honors 4 times.
He holds one NFL record that will probably never be broken — at least one interception in 19 consecutive seasons. He also holds NFL records for most games played by a defensive player (295), oldest defensive back (42 years old), oldest player with an interception (41 years, 304 days) and oldest player to return an interception more than 80 yards for a touchdown, which he did just a few months before his 38th birthday.
There was one particular aspect of Green’s game that burned him into the memories of football fans for time immemorial — his speed. Green won the NFL Fastest Man Competition all four times he competed and reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.09 seconds during training camp in 1986.
Next Commanders Number Retired Will Be …
There are seven jersey numbers that are “unofficially” retired by Washington — quarterback Joe Theismann (No. 7), wide receiver Charley Taylor (No. 42), running back Larry Brown (No. 43), running back John Riggins (No. 44), defensive tackle Dave Butz (No. 65), linebacker Sam Huff (No. 70) and wide receiver Art Monk (No. 81).
Four of those players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — Taylor, Riggins, Huff and Monk, while Riggins was also a Super Bowl MVP.
“For 20 years, Darrell Green gave everything he had to this organization and fan base. Even after retiring from the burgundy and gold, he remained committed to giving back to this community, which to this day holds him in the highest regard,” said Commanders managing partner Josh Harris. “No one on our team will ever again wear No. 28. Thank you, Darrell, for embodying what it means to be a Washington football player, both on and off the field.”
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