Commanders Retiring Hall of Fame Receiver Art Monk’s No. 81

The Washington Commanders said Tuesday they are retiring Hall of Fame wide receiver Art Monk’s No. 81 this season. Monk is the sixth player in franchise history to get that honor, joining Darrell Green, Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell, Sonny Jurgensen and Sean Taylor.

The team announced that Monk would have his number retired on November 2, when the Commanders host the Seattle Seahawks for a Sunday night game in Week 9 of the upcoming NFL season.

Monk was part of all three of Washington’s Super Bowl teams during the organization’s glory days and is arguably one of the greatest players in franchise history. He played 14 of his 16 NFL seasons with Washington before finishing his career with the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles.

From his debut in 1980 through 1993, Monk caught 888 passes for 12,026 yards and 65 touchdowns during the regular season and 69 passes for 1,062 yards and seven TDs in the playoffs. An All-Pro pick in 1982 and a three-time Pro Bowl selection, Monk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Commanders did not retire any player numbers for most of their history. Other than Baugh, whose number was honored in 1953, the Commanders did not retire any numbers until 2020 when Mitchell’s turn came up, kicking off a stretch of five retired numbers in six years. 

While Monk’s number was not retired by the Commanders until 2025, no player in a Washington uniform has worn it since he last put it on in 1993. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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