NASHVILLE, Tenn. – If the Titans let Cam Ward approach Hall of Famer Warren Moon about wearing his retired No. 1, Moon said he will consider it.
“I’m thinking about it,” said Moon, who added he needs time and thought.
Ward wore No. 7 at Columbia High School in West Columbia, Texas and at Incarnate Word.
But when he got to Washington State, the number was not an option, as the Cougars had retired it in honor of Mel Hein, the center on WSU’s 1930 Rose Bowl team.
Ward changed to No. 1, which he wore for two years there, and kept in 2024 at Miami. He wore a chain with the number on it at Miami's pro day on March 24.
"One right now, but we'll see when I am in the league," he said in a recent TikTok interview. "It just depends on what team I go to, what number they got. So we're hoping to stay with one. If not, I'll just switch my number."
The team would have to be willing to unwrap it, and then Ward or the Titans would need to look to Moon for his blessing. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Titans.)
Moon, who played at Washington State rival Washington, started his pro career in the CFL before Bud Adams signed him to quarterback Houston in 1984. He played 10 years for the Oilers and went to nine consecutive Pro Bowls when they meant something.
He led the team to seven consecutive playoff appearances and holds the franchise record for passing yards (33,685), touchdown passes (196) and games (141).
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Unretiring numbers is not unheard of.
The Giants gave Malik Nabors, the sixth pick in the 2024 draft, No. 1 after the family of Hall of 
Famer Ray Flaherty permitted them. Flaherty’s number was the first ever retired in pro football. He played six seasons for the Giants as an end in the 1920s and 30s.
Flaherty's number was the first jersey number ever retired in professional football. In 2024, the Giants unretired the number and gave it to wide receiver Malik Nabers, with the permission of the Flaherty family
Frank Tripucka, a quarterback who’s in the Broncos' Ring of Honor, allowed Peyton Manning to wear his retired number 18 when Manning played for Denver from 2012-2015.
