Why Laquon Treadwell, not Keenan Allen, will wear No. 13 for Indianapolis Colts in 2026

Keenan Allen will play his 14th NFL season in a new number. The Indianapolis Colts receiver, tied to No. 13 for more than a decade, will wear No. 10 after Laquon Treadwell chose to keep the jersey he grew into last year.

Allen made that number famous across 12 seasons with the Chargers and one year in Chicago. He ranks 13th on the NFL’s all-time receptions list and could climb as high as fifth in 2026. When he first arrived at camp, he did not demand the digit. He sat down with Treadwell, who already had it.

“He’s a vet, too. I definitely don’t want to come in and step on toes,” Allen said.

They agreed to play it by ear. The answer only became final after Treadwell did something he had not done in years: make the opening 53-man roster.

A roster spot made the number stick

Laquon Treadwell, 31, is in his third season with Indianapolis after being drafted in the first round in 2016. Until this week, he had never made a team’s initial 53. He has played 12 games since signing with the Colts ahead of 2024, bouncing on and off the practice squad nearly half a dozen times.

This summer he was fighting for one of the last receiver spots with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Coleman Owen, Anthony Gould and Deion Burks. His case grew stronger in the preseason finale, when he started with the first unit while Alec Pierce was still ramping up. Once that roster spot felt secure, Treadwell decided to stay in No. 13, the seventh different number of his career, and the first he had worn for a full season. Keenan Allen will wear No. 10 instead.

How 13 became Treadwell’s number

Treadwell said the two receivers talked it through more than once.

“Me and Keenan spoke three times about it already. He’s just like, he’s not really worried about it, and I told him, ‘I respect the game, and I know what you did in the number,’” Treadwell said. “But me and my family did a lot of praying about it as well, so he was cool with me keeping the number.”

The number itself was almost an accident. After joining Indianapolis in July 2024, Treadwell wore No. 7. When the Colts signed All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward, he planned to switch to 17. That lasted only a few days. Quarterback Daniel Jones signed and took 17, so Treadwell landed on 13.

“I’ve been switching numbers a lot, but last year, I grew to like No. 13. I was playing well, and my family, we’ve been falling in love with the number seeing me out there in it,” Treadwell said. “I had a great camp (this summer), so I just wanted to hold onto it.”

For Allen, 13 had been part of his identity for 13 seasons. For Treadwell, it became the first number that felt like home after a career of constant changes and practice-squad years.