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The Washington Commanders continue to celebrate their rich history. The team has announced that it will retire Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk's No. 81 during their "Sunday Night Football" matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 2. 

Monk will join Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell, Sean Taylor, Sonny Jurgensen and Darrell Green as the franchise's only players to have their numbers retired. Several prominent franchise figures, including former teammates Doug Williams, Gary Clark, Ricky Sanders, managing partner John Harris team president Mark Clouse traveled to Monk's Florida home to personally inform him of the news. 

Monk, 67, is more than deserving of the honor. In 1984, he became the first player in NFL history to catch over 100 passes in a season. In 1992, Monk became the NFL's all-time leader in career receptions and two years after that became the first player in history to reach 900 career receptions. Upon his retirement after the 1995 season, Monk's 12,721 career receiving yards was the second-most in NFL history. His steak of 183 consecutive games with a catch is still an NFL record. 

Monk, who spent 14 of his 16 NFL seasons with Washington, was a member of each of the franchise's Super Bowl teams. In Super Bowl XXVI, he and Clark became the second pair of teammates to each record over 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl. 

"I'm really just kind of shocked," Monk said after being told the news of his number retirement. "I wasn't expecting this, obviously, but I appreciate the acknowledgement. I played the game because I loved the game, and I loved to play. I loved my teammates. I loved being out there with them. 

"Practice was always tough, but when you're playing with a bunch of guys who have this same goal in mind, to do well and to excel in what they do, it makes it fun. I was fortunate enough to have that most of my career, and because of that, we did things that a lot of other teams didn't do. We went to Super Bowls, playoff games. Like I said, we were a team. ... We were more than teammates, we were family. ... I think was the big difference. I'm just honored." 

Monk's number retirement is part of the Commanders' ongoing effort to pay homage to the team's Super Bowl era. Last week, the team announced that it would wear "Super Bowl Era" uniforms three times during the 2025 season.