Eagles first-round receiver Makai Lemon will wear No. 9 (with Nick Foles’ blessing)
The No. 20 overall pick said he chatted with Foles and has formed an early bond with projected starting wideout mate DeVonta Smith.
For his last two seasons at USC, Makai Lemon donned a No. 6 jersey. Now, as he embarks upon his rookie year with the Eagles, he’s flipping the number on its head.
Lemon announced ahead of rookie camp on Thursday that he will wear No. 9 with the Eagles. Nick Foles, the Super Bowl LII MVP quarterback, was the last player in the organization to sport the number from 2017-18. While it wasn’t officially retired, players have treated it as such.
The rookie receiver isn’t taking the rare opportunity lightly. In fact, Lemon spoke with Foles on the phone and received his blessing to wear it.
“Appreciate the Eagles so much, Nick Foles especially, to pass that number down, because I know he could have easily kept that number to himself,” Lemon said. “Such a great player when he was here, wearing that number nine. Led him to the Super Bowl. So I appreciate him so much. I definitely cherish that so much. And I’ll represent the nine well, representing the team well.”
Lemon wasn’t initially fixated on the specific jersey number. He prioritized a low digit, but his options were limited. Nos. 1-4 belong to veterans Jalen Hurts, Riq Woolen, Nolan Smith, and Jake Elliott, respectively. Donovan McNabb’s No. 5 is retired.
Nos. 6-8 are worn by DeVonta Smith, Kelee Ringo, and Tank Bigsby, respectively.
Then, there was No. 9. Lemon said the Eagles brought up the possibility of wearing that number. But before Lemon took it over, he learned of Foles’ legacy of stepping in for an injured Carson Wentz during the 2017 season and spoke to the man himself.
“He wanted to pass that number over, wanting to speak to me on the phone before anybody else told me,” Lemon said. “So I appreciate him and hopefully I can meet him soon [when] he’s around the building.”
Lemon will have plenty of time to meet Foles and the other former Eagles who occasionally return to the Jefferson Health Training Complex. For now, with rookie camp beginning on Friday and organized team activities kicking off in a month, Lemon is focused on acclimating to his new team.
All he has to worry about is football. The business side of it is out of the way. Lemon confirmed that he signed his entry-level, four-year contract, which according to ESPN is fully guaranteed and includes a $11.5 million signing bonus.
“I feel like it just went smooth, really,” Lemon said. “Just going with the flow. Went over contracts with me and my team. Felt like it was the right decision to put that pen to paper and such a dream come true, such a blessing. I just appreciate the Eagles and my team, we worked together and got it done.”
He is also getting to know his new teammates who will suit up with him on Sundays. Lemon was an Eagle for approximately 24 hours when he first met DeVonta Smith last Friday. The two receivers sat together courtside at Sixers-Celtics Game 3, one night after Lemon was selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the draft.
But in their interactions, Lemon didn’t get the impression that Smith was in the business of bartering for No. 6.
“DeVonta let me know, ‘Man, this is my number,’” Lemon said. “So I was like, ‘Bro, yeah, you got it. I ain’t even going to ask you, for sure.’”
Lemon said he didn’t want to pepper Smith with too many questions of any kind. They kept the conversation casual, including their talks about the team. He said Smith raved about the organization and the “brotherhood” within the locker room.
After spending time together, Lemon came away with a strong impression of Smith.
“Super humble guy,” Lemon said. “Super chill, super calm. Kind of my type of vibe. So I feel like me and him clicked on those things. But when we step on the field, he already know he got that dawg mentality. So I feel like me and him are going to click well, definitely.”
That ought to be a welcome dynamic for the Eagles. With A.J. Brown likely to become a New England Patriot after June 1, according to ESPN, Smith and Lemon could form the Eagles’ top receiving tandem going forward.
Smith and Lemon seem to be cut from a similar cloth. Both players won the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver. Both players are relatively undersized, too, with Smith being 6-foot, 170 pounds and Lemon at 5-foot-11, 194. Lemon expressed that Smith plays with a mentality that is familiar to him.
“He’s definitely not the biggest guy, not the tallest guy on the field,” Lemon said. “But having that heart makes him such an impact player. And that’s what sticks out to me.”
Lemon said he is looking forward to diving into the new-look Eagles offense under Sean Mannion and playing alongside Smith — even if his teammate is wearing Lemon’s old college number.
“Once you have a guy like that on your team lining up next to you, I feel like that’s only going to make you better,” Lemon said. “And I feel like we can help each other in any way.”
