49 days until the Texans' 2025 season opener: Who has worn No.49

USA Today

19 hours ago

The Houston Texans are less than 50 days away from kicking off the 2025 season in Los Angeles against the Rams at SoFi Stadium and we're counting down the days until a victory ensues on the west coast.
Texans Wire will each day tell you which player has worn the number of the day leading up to kickoff and pick the player who ensured the number best during their time at NRG Stadium. As for today, let's take a look at who has worn No. 49 since the inaugural season in 2002.
Texans players to wear No. 49
No. 49 currently belongs to no one on the team. In fact, it's the least-worn number in franchise history, having just a handful of players ever wear it during a regular season contest. What's crazier is that whenever a player takes on the mantle of No. 49, the plan seems to be keeping the number as short as possible before finally switching.
Just ask undrafted free agent Jake Hansen, who was the last to wear No. 49 in 2022 before switching the following offseason. Finding a G.O.A.T. could be challenging, but we're gonna take a swing at it.
Best Player: No one
In over two decades, there have been two players to wear the No. 49 in a regular-season game. What's crazier is only three players in 22 years have donned the jersey while being on the practice squad, meaning it is the least-worn number in NFL history.
Yes, No. 49 has been worn in the past, but Keyes was a special-teams player who lasted only one season in Houston. Hansen, who has carved out a decent role for himself since joining the Texans in 2022, proceeded to switch over to his college No. 35 following the end of his rookie campaign. During the lone season wearing No. 49, he only recorded 24 tackles and a sack.
If Hansen kept the No. 49, he'd be the G.O.A.T., but with the switch, someone else could claim the title and take over as the new face of the jersey in Houston for 2026 and beyond.