Lions’ Terrion Arnold switching to the number 6 jersey number next season in tribute to Khyree Jackson

Detroit Lions second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold is changing his jersey number from 0 to 6 to honor the memory of his late friend, Khyree Jackson.

Lions’ Terrion Arnold switching to the number 6 jersey number next season in tribute to Khyree Jackson

Terrion Arnold and Khyree Jackson (Image via IMAGO)

Terrion Arnold announced on Saturday the change of his jersey number to honor former college teammate Khyree Jackson. It’s a great gesture from the Detroit Lions cornerback.

The Lions drafted Arnold, a former Alabama defensive back, as the 24th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He wore No. 3 while playing for Bama but went with the No. 0 at Lions.

He’s switching again. Not because he doesn’t like the number, but for a noble and heartwarming cause. Terrion Arnold wants to honor his former Bama teammate, Khyree Jackson. So, he is set to wear Jackson’s No. 6 at Detroit.

Earlier this week, the Lions released the new numbers for the 2025 season. (H/T: MLive) The list revealed Arnold receiving permission to wear the No. 6. Later, the 22-year-old shared the reason behind switching from 0 to 6 on Instagram.

Gone forever. Live through me brother.

Terrion Arnold wrote

Arnold wants to honor the memory of his late friend who passed away last year. Jackson and Arnold played together for a short while at Alabama but grew very close and stayed in touch even after the Maryland native transferred to the Oregon Ducks for his senior year.

What happened to Khyree Jackson?

Jackson was part of the same 2024 draft. He was drafted by the rivals of Arnold’s Lions, the Minnesota Vikings, in the fourth round. Jackson impressed head coach Kevin O’Connell in the practice and rose to the ranks as the third-string choice.

Lions' Terrion Arnold switching to the number 6 jersey number next season in tribute to Khyree Jackson
Terrion Arnold (Image via IMAGO)

Unfortunately, on July 6, 2024, Khyree Jackson and his two high school friends died in a car accident near Prince George’s County in Maryland. Jackson’s Dodge Charger collided with an Infiniti Q50, causing the tragic deaths. He was only 24 years old.

He had a very, very good spring and was really looking forward to, you know, coming back to training camp and being well on his way, on that path, to having a big impact on our team for this year.

Kevin O’Connell said

Jackson grew very close to fellow Vikings rookie JJ McCarthy. The first-year quarterback mourned his friend’s death.

Too much ahead of him. Rest in peace to a phenomenal athlete but, more importantly, a really f**kin great man. See you in the next life, fam.

JJ McCarthy said

Who else changed their jersey number in the Lions roster?

Terrion Arnold won’t be the only Lions player wearing new numbers in the new season. The Lions allocated number changes to 14 players.

  • No. 0 – RB Jahmyr Gibbs
  • No. 1 – WR Jameson Williams
  • No. 4 – CB DJ Reed
  • No. 6 – CB Terrion Arnold
  • No. 9 – CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
  • No. 10 – WR Ronnie Bell
  • No. 12 -WR Tim Patrick
  • No. 15 – LB Grant Stuard
  • No. 23 – CB Rock Ya-Sin
  • No. 26 – DB Morice Norris
  • No. 51 – DL Roy Lopez
  • No. 88 – TE Kenny Yeboah
  • No. 96 – EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad
  • No. 99 – DL Brodric Martin

Why did Terrion Arnold pick No. 0 as his jersey number during his rookie year?

Arnold may be wearing the 6 in the future, but he chose the 0 as his first number in the NFL. Not everyone can wear that number because it’s special, and Arnold knows there’s “nobody like” him.

When I say there isn’t nobody like me, it’s talking about the secondary. Obviously, last year in this secondary, we had ups and downs, but we’re going to be exciting. We’re going to be dynamic. We’re going to play fast. And it ain’t going to be nobody like us.

Terrion Arnold said (H/T: FOX News)

The Lions’ secondary improved drastically with Arnold near the scoring zone. Under the guidance of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (now New York Jets head coach), the Lions posted a 50.9% red zone defense and led the league in third downs (allowing only 32.4% third downs).

Terrion Arnold appeared in 16 games for the Lions. He recorded a combined 60 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and one forced recovery.

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