Chiefs officially update jersey number for standout rookie pass-rusher

In a post to their official Twitter account on May 11, the Kansas City Chiefs officially announced that they had updated the jersey number of rookie pass-rusher R Mason Thomas. The former Oklahoma Sooners standout had previously been assigned the No. 34 jersey in the days after Kansas City selected him with the No. 40 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Thomas is now set to wear the No. 51 jersey. It is unclear why the Chiefs elected to change Thomas' jersey number, or if the old number had any significance to the rookie, or whether the new number represents anything more than an aesthetic change. Update: @thomss_r will now wear no. 51. https://t.co/D6C6dTma3E — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 11, 2026 In the end, Kansas City's decision to swap Thomas' No. 34 jersey for the No. 51 one will likely prove to be an insignificant oddity in the soon-to-be sack-master's rookie offseason. But, for some Chiefs-Sooners fans who had already ordered his jersey before May 11, the move may have caused a fair bit of buyer's remorse. This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs rumors: KC confirms new jersey number for rookie pass-rusher