Kendricks, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Vikings, played his first NFL game in 2015 — the same year Hopkins did.
“It was a great situation,” Kendricks said. “I didn’t want to come in and just take the number.
“I know he’s a vet … so us working together and doing this for the greater good is the best-case scenario,” Kendricks added.
The NFL changed a rule in 2021 that allowed players to switch to single-digit jersey numbers if they played a certain position.
Kendricks said he nearly switched to No. 6 then but opted against it.
“I almost changed to No. 6 in Minnesota but decided not to,” Kendricks said. “But I said that if I ever changed teams, I’d try to get No. 6.
“So as soon as I got with the Chargers, I said, ‘Man, I’m going to try to get No. 6.’ Dustin Hopkins had No. 6 so I messaged him,” Kendricks added. “[I said], ‘Hey, I’m coming back to my home state and it’d mean a lot to me to have No. 6.”
The end result was a win-win for Kendricks, who will don No. 6 and support a worthy cause in the process.
Kendricks starred at UCLA nearly a decade ago, earning Second-Team All-America and Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors in 2014. He led the FBS is solo tackles and became UCLA’s first Butkus Award winner as the nation’s best linebacker.
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