A few months back word came out about Trent Taylor switching jersey numbers. At first, the quick assumption was his abandonment of No. 81 was so the San Francisco 49ers could retire it in honor of Terrell Owens. That’s not going to be the case.
The Athletic’s Matt Barrows wrote that the 49ers aren’t planning on retiring Owens’ jersey. Nor are they prepared to retire Patrick Willis’ (No. 52) or Frank Gore’s (No. 21). This decision comes straight from the top, 49ers CEO Jed York. York would rather place players into the ring of honor for one good reason: The 49ers can run out of numbers if they aren’t careful.