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Turron Davenport, ESPN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — NFL players have shown mutual respect for each other by exchanging jerseys after games over the past few seasons.
Now players are required to pay for the jerseys when doing the swaps — and costs have increased recently.
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry gets a lot of jersey swap requests. But the recent increase has Henry being more picky about who he exchanges jerseys with.
“I might be selective on who I choose here on out,” Henry said. “The price of it is pretty high so you gotta find the right ones.”
The jersey swap costs vary by team. Titans players have to pay upward of $350 per jersey for their swaps.
Even though Henry’s base 2023 salary is $10.5 million, he doesn’t swap after every game now because those costs can add up. As a result, Henry said he’s had to see some long faces after turning some of the jersey swaps down.
But when Henry does get a jersey, he makes it count. Henry said he frames the jerseys he gets and puts them on a wall in his home.
Players like future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey along with current Colts players Shaquille Leonard and Jonathan Taylor are among the many jersey swaps Henry has done.
Perhaps his most coveted jersey belongs to another Colts player, Peyton Manning. Henry likes to refer to himself as a “Young Peyton Manning” when asked about his four career touchdown throws.
“My favorite right now, Peyton Manning,” Henry said. “He sent me one last year. I thought that was pretty cool. And he signed it, ‘Young Peyton Manning.'”
Henry joked that he’s still waiting for one former Titans running back to send him a jersey.
“Chris Johnson if you hear this,” Henry said with a smile. “I’m still waiting on that jersey.”
Source: www.espn.com