Colts won't let Hakeem Nicks wear No. 88: Report

After wearing No. 88 during his five-year career with the New York Giants and as a standout receiver at North Carolina, Hakeem Nicks has been given No. 14 by the Colts, according to the team's website.

And not by any choice of the newly acquired wideout.

To be clear, the Colts have not officially retired the 88 jersey which the team’s all-time leading receiver, Marvin Harrison, wore during his 13 seasons in Indianapolis, and which Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey wore for nine seasons in Baltimore. But the Colts aren’t giving No. 88 out anymore.

“Everybody knows I love those eights on my chest, but we’ll have to see how that pans out,” Nicks said when he signed with the Colts in March.

The Colts are running out of numbers in the 80s, with Raymond Berry’s 82 and Gino Marchetti’s 89 both retired, and Reggie Wayne’s 87 likely to be retired some day as well. But it's only right they retire 88, and when they do they should honor both Harrison and Mackey.

The Colts open their offseason conditioning program Monday, at which time Nicks will work out in his new number.