No Washington Commander will ever wear No. 81 again. On Tuesday, the franchise announced plans to retire wide receiver Art Monk’s jersey number at a ceremony during the Nov. 2 home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Washington’s all-time leading receiver will be the sixth former player to have his number retired by the Commanders. He joins former teammate Darrell Green, whose No. 28 was retired last year, Sonny Jurgensen, Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell and Sean Taylor.
No player has worn the burgundy and gold No. 81 since Monk left the team after the 1993 season. Now the Commanders will make it official.
A pack of Commanders representatives, including three fellow NFL champions, quarterback Doug Williams and wide receivers Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders, plus team owner Josh Harris, surprised Monk, now 67, with the news at his home in Florida.
“Art, for everything you’ve done, not just for this team, but for all of us who had the honor to play alongside you, this is a moment that’s been a long time coming,” Clark told Monk. “You showed us what greatness looked like every single day.”
For more than 50 years, the Commanders franchise refused to retire any jersey numbers except Baugh’s No. 33. The tide began to shift in 2020 with the retirement of Mitchell’s No. 49 in the final years under former owner Dan Snyder.
Taylor was honored in 2021, followed by Jurgensen in 2022 and Green last year.
“You changed the standard for wide receivers not just here in Washington, but across the league,” Clark said. “Today, we get to do what should have been done a long time ago.”
To fans, Monk was a no-brainer for the honor.
“This was beautiful and well overdue,” Commanders fan Juan Pablo Hernandez wrote. “An excellent step from the new ownership group that just gets it.”
Monk set franchise records in receptions and receiving yards during his 14 seasons in D.C. His 65 touchdown catches rank second in team history.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here,” Harris told Monk. “You were my first call when I bought the franchise. You’re an incredible man, human being and legend for us.”
The Commanders will hold a ceremony for Monk in prime time before the clash with the Seahawks on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
“I’m really just kind of shocked because I wasn’t expecting this, obviously,” Monk said. “But I appreciate the acknowledgement. I played the game because I just loved the game. I loved to play, I loved my teammates; I loved being out there with them.”
During his time with the team, then known as the Redskins, Monk helped usher in the NFL’s pass-first era. The Hall of Famer was the first receiver to record more than 100 receptions in a season and the first to nab more than 900 catches in a career.
But with just three Pro Bowl appearances and a pair of All-Pro nods, Monk flew mostly under the radar. Despite sharing legendary touchdown celebrations with Washington’s Fun Bunch in the 1980s, Monk was never one to hog the spotlight.
“He was mentally and physically tough, a real leader,” Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs said in a pre-recorded video for his player. “Art was quiet, determined. But when Art spoke, everybody listened.”
In 1992, Monk broke the NFL record for receptions in a career and finished with 940. San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice passed him in 1995.
“The way you handled that is with true dignity, humility and class, just like you’ve done everything else in your career,” Commanders general manager Adam Peters said. “You really set the standard for all of the Redskins and Commanders receivers that have followed you.”
The Commanders’ video announcement drew rave reviews from fans who clamor for the team to pay homage to its past.
“My god there is nothing that hits my heart strings like the Redskins of my youth. The emotional connection and attachment that I have with that era always makes me cry when I see videos like this,” fan Quinn Jordan wrote on X. “I miss these Redskins. … I miss them so much.”
Monk’s jersey retirement is the next step in the Commanders’ effort to reconnect with their history. The franchise has started casually referring to the old name and logo on its social channels after years of avoidance.
Last week, the franchise unveiled “Super Bowl Era” throwback jerseys. The new uniforms, featuring classic stripes on jerseys, helmets, pants, and socks, pay homage to the team’s three Super Bowl triumphs under Gibbs and starring Monk.
The team will wear the retro-inspired look for the first time when Monk joins the team for the Seattle game.
“This guy was a great player; he deserves to have his number retired,” Gibbs said. “But not only that; the best thing about Art Monk, he was a great person.”
Word of Monk’s greatness has followed the franchise for decades. Coaches and executives share his highlights with players who were too young to watch him live.
Current Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, a two-time Pro Bowler, said Monk’s quiet brand of leadership serves as an inspiration.
“He’s the greatest wide receiver ever to play for our organization, in my mind,” McLauirn said, “and a Hall of Famer for a reason. … To see what he’s done in this league, for this organization, that’s somebody I hope to be like one day. He definitely deserves this honor.”
Washington fans’ reactions ranged from “fantastic” to “finally.”
Despite an acclaimed career with countless records, Monk wasn’t a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He wasn’t enshrined in Canton, Ohio, until 2008, 13 years after his playing career ended.
Now 32 years removed from his final game with Washington, Monk will be recognized as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.
“This is awesome,” Chris Bryant, part of the Hogfarmers group of supporters, wrote on X. “Art Monk is a legend.”