NFL 2023 Annual Meeting: NFL Plays the Number Game When Making Rules Changes

‘Roughing The Passer’ Penalty Still Not a Reviewable Play After Owners Meeting

There was plenty of talking done at the NFL Annual Meeting 2023 from all levels of NFL leadership.

When things wrapped up, there wasn’t much to come out of the meeting. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers had yet to change teams, Daniel Snyder is still the owner of the Washington Commanders and officials can continue to make questionable roughing the passer calls without those decisions being part of the reviewable plays.

Let’s take a look at what did transpire in a gathering that turned into much ado about nothing.

Good News For Bettors

The NFL owners allowed sportsbooks at or near stadiums to continue to be open on game days during the NFL Annual Meeting 2023.

The Washington Commanders are the only franchise with a sportsbook inside the stadium while the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants and Jets (who share a home field) have them outside the stadium much to the delight to those who partake in football betting.

The gambling world, when it comes to the NFL – changed when the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas.

With more states having legalized sports betting, this could be just scratching the surface as sports betting will continue to be a part of the NFL landscape moving forward.

What’s In a Number?

It might be not the best thing for a player to be called a zero.

However, players will now be able to wear the No. 0 and that will result in announcements from officials about penalties being committed by players wearing the number 0.

The most famous NFL player to wear that number is probably former Raiders offensive lineman Jim Otto with receiver Ken Burrough a close second.

Calvin Ridley, a receiver with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who was recently reinstated after a season-long suspension for betting on NFL games, and Dallas Cowboys pass rusher extraordinaire Micah Parsons are among the players who said they plan to wear No. 0.

Parsons is currently tied with T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns as the front-runner at +700 to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Ridley is priced at +2500 in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds.

Offensive and defensive linemen will not be allowed to wear No. 0. However, players at the other positions can don that uniform number.

Defensive back Obert Logan was the last player to wear the number 0 before the NFL placed restrictions on the numbers that could be worn by the different position groups and took 0 out of the available numbers category.

His Days Are Numbered

It is impossible to think about an NFL 2023 Annual Meeting involving the NFL owners without mentioning the possible departures of one of the least successful owners in professional sports history.

The Harris-Rales group is priced at +125 to assume majority ownership of the Washington Commanders followed by the Tilman Fertitta Group (+300), the Steve Apostolopoulos group (+450) and Jeff Bezos comes in at +500.

There will be mixed feelings among the other owners when Daniel Snyder is no longer calling the shots at Washington because they had to love having an owner who turned the Washington franchise into an afterthought and some might use some even stronger words.

Making the Call

There are some tweaks to the penalties that can be called:

• Tripping is now a personal foul and will result in a 15-yard penalty.
• Illegally handing the ball forward will be treated the same way as an illegal forward pass.
• However, the NFL rule book did not undergo many significant changes.

What’s Next?

Obviously seeing how the situations play out with former MVPs Rodgers and Jackson.

There have been reports of the Green Bay Packers easing off the demand of the Jets including the No. 13 overall pick in a potential deal for Rodgers.

The deal with Jackson could be a little more complicated. Is there collusion among the owners not to pursue a former MVP in his 20s? If he doesn’t head elsewhere, will Jackson return to play for the Baltimore Ravens?

The NFL Draft is less than a month away and that will dominate the NFL news and headlines in the coming days.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• NFL Free Agency Follies: These Deals are Shakespearean in Nature
• 2023 NFL Draft Odds: Quarterbacks Expect to Fly Off the Board in the 2023 NFL Draft
• NFL News Update: Rodgers Hogs Headlines Amidst Crazy Free Agency
• NFL Franchise Tag Update: Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson Among Prominent Players Tagged
• NFL Draft Early Odds: Alabama quarterback Bryce Young Ready to Go No. 1?