McCarthy Switches to No. 18 with Giants

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy will switch to jersey number 18 after discovering tight end Isaiah Likely already wears No. 9. McCarthy had previously created a game-day alter ego called "NINE" based on his preferred number. esporist.org

The unavailability of No. 9 reflects the NFL's recent liberalization of number assignments for skill-position players, which previously reserved single digits for quarterbacks and kickers but now allows them across various positions.