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When the Kansas City Chiefs signed running back LeSean McCoy — after his release from the Buffalo Bills — his career-long number of 25 belonged to rookie running back Darwin Thompson. However, Thompson was gracious enough to give the star his number, subsequently taking No. 34.
For Thompson, giving McCoy No. 25 was an obvious move. “Shady” McCoy has 10 years of experience in the league, and has earned respect as one of the best to do it from Thompson.
Article Continues Below“He (gave) me a little something. It’s all respect. That’s a 10-year veteran and future Hall of Famer. He deserves to wear his number,” Thompson said, per The Athletic's Nate Taylor. “I’ve got 34 now, and that’s what I’m going to roll with. When you wear 34, you think of Walter Payton and Bo Jackson. The number 34 is good to me.”
As Thompson notes, McCoy “deserves to wear his number.” Though the rookie back, hailing from Utah State, flashed impressive traits in the offseason, he's obviously yet to record a rush in a regular season game. McCoy, on the other hand, has rushed the ball 2,346 times for 10,606 yards and 69 touchdowns; in the process earning six Pro-Bowl nods and two First Team All-Pro selections.
Thompson wore No. 5 in college, but not wearing the number on his NFL jersey isn't a bad thing for him. As he says, “When you wear 34, you think of Walter Payton and Bo Jackson.” That's not bad company considering both are all-time greats. The No. 34 may not be bad to Thompson at all while he learns from McCoy.
