Joe Theismann isn’t interested in reliving the Dwayne Haskins situation.
With Stefon Diggs now in Washington and asking to wear No. 7, Theismann says he’s not the one to make that call.
In a phone conversation Tuesday with “Grant & Danny” on 106.7 The Fan, he drew a clear line: “The jersey belongs to the football team.. I was honored to wear it..
I will leave it to the Commanders to make that decision.”
Diggs set the whole thing in motion after being signed by the Commanders, posting on Instagram and calling on Washington fans to help him win Theismann’s approval. In that post, Diggs wrote, “Y'all gotta help me...get the GOAT to bless me with that 7.”
That request brought back memories of 2019, when rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins, drafted 15th overall by Washington, asked to wear No. 7 as well. Haskins had worn the number at Ohio State, and the jersey had not been worn in Washington since Theismann’s final NFL season in 1985. The team left the decision to Theismann, and he gave Haskins his blessing.
This time, though, Theismann isn’t stepping into the middle of it.
The number itself has taken on a strange life in Washington. No player has worn No. 7 since Theismann, while the organization has protected and then retired the numbers of Sonny Jurgensen (9), Sean Taylor (21), Darrell Green (28), Sammy Baugh (33) and Art Monk (81). John Riggins’ 44 is also set to be retired this season.
There’s also Bobby Mitchell’s 49, which was retired despite Leonard Stephens later wearing it in 2002, the only time anyone has done so since.
The bigger question hanging over all of this is whether Theismann’s No. 7 should ever have been treated as something to reserve in the first place. Theismann is in the team’s Ring of Honor, and nobody is taking that away from him.
But his Washington career - which began in 1974 - included only two Pro Bowl seasons, though he did win AP MVP in 1983, when the Redskins went 14-2. He was a vocal leader on those teams, including the 1982 Super Bowl championship squad, but the source material raises the issue plainly: was that enough to place him in the same category as the rare players whose jerseys are retired?
Theismann’s career also ended in the most painful way imaginable, with the brutal injury on that November night in 1985. That ending has long shaped how people remember him. The question now is whether it has also blurred the line between being honored and being retired.
And that’s where Diggs’ request lands: in the middle of a debate Washington has never really settled.
In Other News...
Commanders Cornerback Question Now Centers On A Familiar Name
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Trevon Diggs is currently a free agent, which keeps the idea alive for a team that could use help at corner. The fit would make sense on paper because Washington is weighing experience and depth at a spot where every camp rep matters, but the real question is whether the Commanders decide to make a move before practices begin. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Kicker Battle Could Swing On Drew Stevens This Week
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Stevens has handled himself well enough in practices to keep the battle interesting, while Moody brings the experience edge into a matchup that now shifts from camp fields to game action. The preseason is where Washington will try to sort out which leg it trusts most for the long haul, and every kick from here on out carries a little more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]