In the immediate aftermath of the massive trade that landed Jared Verse with the Cleveland Browns, one of the breakout conversations was about jersey numbers. Sure, the Browns had just traded arguably the best defender ever, and acquired a young, two-time Pro Bowler, but people were curious about how the trade would affect jersey numbers.
Jared Verse, who wore No. 8 with the Los Angeles Rams, was joining a team where the No. 8 jersey was being worn by quarterback Dillon Gabriel. This immediately led to a lot of online jokes that Verse would be coming to snatch the jersey off Gabriel’s back, and essentially flexing his value to the team over the third-string quarterback.
It kind of seemed like that’s what happened after both players were in a No. 8 jersey during their first practice as teammates. Verse eventually became the sole owner of the number and Gabriel switched to No. 6. However, the switching of numbers didn’t unfold how fans joked it did online.
Verse made that clear during a recent appearance on Good Morning Football. He admitted that he’s seen all the memes about him snatching the jersey off Gabriel’s back, but explained that things were handled much more respectfully. Verse said the two had a conversation in the equipment room, and later called each other up to find a number that worked for the both of them.
🚨 This just in: @JaredVerse1 confirms he did NOT take #8 off teammate Dillon Gabriel's back 🚨 pic.twitter.com/TqfSaw1PyX
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) July 15, 2026
Jared Verse shares that he paid Dillon Gabriel for Browns’ No. 8 jersey
That was definitely the best approach for Verse to take as he ingratiates himself with a new team. Truthfully, the defensive end probably could’ve come in and forced his way into the No. 8. As the prized piece of a massive trade, and with Gabriel on the roster bubble, the team likely would’ve prioritized Verse’s desires if it came to that.
However, the young defender didn’t let it come to that. He knows how things go in the NFL; when a player wants another player’s jersey number, it costs. Verse followed the precedent set in the NFL, showed respect to his new teammate, and went about things the right way.
Now, Jared Verse gets to continue wearing his No. 8 jersey and, hopefully, continue to dominate now that he’s in a Browns uniform.
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