For all the work the Philadelphia Eagles have done this offseason, they aren’t out of the woods just yet. With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, the Eagles have brought a new group of young players to town, with that group being highlighted by wide receiver Makai Lemon, who was selected with the No. 20 overall pick.
Lemon was presumably brought to town to help replace A.J. Brown, who appears set to get traded once the calendar flips to June. Before he can get to work with Philly, Lemon had to put pen to paper on his four-year, $20.8 million rookie contract, which he did on Thursday. After doing so, Lemon made a big announcement regarding his jersey number with his new team.
Makai Lemon Set to Wear No. 9 with Eagles in 2026
Nick Foles gave him the blessing. The two spoke. Lemon is the fist one to wear it since Nick Foles.
Throughout the pre-draft process, Lemon was viewed as one of the top wide receivers available in his draft class, and sure enough, he came off the board pretty quickly. After he earned All-American honors in 2025 with the USC Trojans (79 REC, 1,156 YDS, 13 total TD), Lemon should be expected to make an immediate impact as a rookie.
Even if Brown does end up getting traded, Philly has a solid wide receiver corps. DeVonta Smith is a proven stud, and the front office already signed Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore in free agency, while also trading for Dontayvion Wicks. Add Lemon into the mix, and that’s a pretty good wide receiver room, regardless of Brown’s status.
Now that he’s joining a new team, Lemon has to pick out a new jersey number. During his time in college, Lemon wore the No. 6 with USC, but the number is already being worn by Smith. Lemon decided to simply flip that number upside down and take the No. 9 jersey, which hasn’t been worn since Super Bowl-winning quarterback Nick Foles was in town. Before locking in on that number, though, Lemon revealed he checked in with Foles to make sure he was OK with that.
“Makai Lemon will wear No. 9,” Zach Berman of The Athletic shared in a post on X. “Nick Foles gave him the blessing. The two spoke. Lemon is the first one to wear it since Nick Foles.”
Eagles Hoping Makai Lemon Can Make an Immediate Impact in 2026
GettyThe Philadelphia Eagles traded up in the 2026 NFL draft to take USC WR Makai Lemon
The makeup of the Eagles’ wide receiver is still a bit unknown, thanks in large part to Brown’s murky status. At this stage of the game, it seems increasingly likely that he will get traded, but until a deal is officially announced, anything could happen. However, it’s fair to assume that general manager Howie Roseman wouldn’t have drafted Lemon if he thought Brown would be sticking around.
Should Brown get traded, Lemon would have a great opportunity to establish himself as Philadelphia’s No. 2 receiver alongside Smith. Given what Foles did for the Eagles during his time in town, wearing the No. 9 jersey is going to come with championship expectations, but it seems like Lemon is embracing that added pressure as he makes the jump to the pros.
Makai Lemon Makes Announcement After Signing Contract with Eagles