Seahawks CB Artie Burns to Wear Russell Wilson's No. 3 Jersey After New Contract

The No. 3 jersey is reentering circulation for the Seattle Seahawks.

Veteran cornerback Artie Burns is listed as No. 3 on the team's official roster. He'd be the first Seahawks player to wear the number since longtime quarterback Russell Wilson, whom the team traded to the Denver Broncos last offseason.

Seattle announced Tuesday it re-signed Burns, who made three appearances for the team in 2022. He logged a total of 24 snaps on defense and special teams.

The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta provided some context for why Burns switched numbers ahead of the 2023 season:

There will likely come a day when the Seahawks retire No. 3 in Wilson's honor. He helped Seattle win its only Super Bowl to date and is arguably the greatest player in franchise history.

Until then, the team has little choice but to hand it out to other players. Condotta noted how basically every number from 1-99 is needed during training camp.

In the case of Burns, the NFL expanded its jersey rules in 2021 to allow defensive backs to have numbers in the single digits. Before that, they were limited to Nos. 20-49.