Warren Moon bestows No. 1 on Cam Ward as Titans unretire jersey number
As the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft was wrapping up his introductory news conference Friday, Ward was told there was a special guest waiting. Entering the room was Pro Football Hall of Famer and Houston Oilers legend Warren Moon, holding a No. 1 jersey, which the franchise retired in his honor in 2006.
Moon, who played 10 years with the Oilers and still holds the organization records in passing yards and touchdowns, hugged Ward and handed the rookie the jersey, which was spun around to reveal Ward's name.
Passing the Torch pic.twitter.com/M9NMA0H0uH
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) April 25, 2025
'I just came here because I have a lot of respect for this young man,' Moon told reporters. 'A lot of our journeys are similar in terms of all the things he was told, about not being good enough. Nobody gave him that great opportunity, but he just kept fighting and kept working.
'I wore the No. 1 for a lot of different reasons and I wore it for a long time, starting back in 1976 when I was in college. I think I wore it very honorably for the Houston Oilers organization to the point where I created a Hall of Fame career for myself. Now I'm part of the Tennessee Titans family and my Houston Oilers jersey will probably never be worn again, I hope it won't, but the Tennessee Titans jersey is going to be worn by Cam, and Cam will be starting a new … freshness in this organization to revitalize it and get it back to where it was.'
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Moon, who added that he has watched Ward play since he was at Washington State, later shared his career advice for Ward: Be humble, be approachable to teammates and let the team see his work ethic.
After Moon spoke, Ward told reporters that he spent time watching Moon's highlights in the pre-draft process and called the franchise legend about a month ago to ask Moon for permission to wear the jersey.
'I've got a lot of respect. I didn't know much about him until the draft was really getting started,' Ward said, before later joking, 'Before I called him I made sure I watched his highlights to make sure he was legit. He was, he was legit. I'm trying to get up to his level one day.'
Moon played with Houston from 1984 to 1993, leading the team to the playoffs three times and leading the NFL in passing yards twice in that span. He retired in 2000 with the fourth-most passing yards in league history. Opposite Ward, Moon entered the league after going undrafted and spending six years in the Canadian Football League.
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