Every year we see rookie players assigned numbers after the draft, then assigned more permanent numbers after rosters are trimmed just before the start of the season.
Less often we get word of veterans changing numbers. Usually a veteran changing their number is prompted by a rookie making a deal for a number they wore in college, or something similar for a new teammate.
Tuesday afternoon, New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard posted on his own Instagram account (and reported by Madelyn Burke of WFAN), that he would be swapping the “87” he’s worn since being drafted in 2016 to wear number 3 in 2021.