New Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will likely not have a tough time getting any number he would wish, but he probably will not land the No. 12.
Rodgers wore that number for his entire tenure with the Green Bay Packers but switched to No. 8 with the New York Jets, the same number he wore at California.
With the Steelers, No. 12 was worn by quarterback Terry Bradshaw in the 1970s, and while not officially retired, the team has never handed out the number since Bradshaw retired. It is unlikely they ever will, and there are plenty of other numbers that the Steelers will never hand out again, like No. 43 with Troy Polamalu.
This is not a matter of Rodgers asking Bradshaw, though if he did, it would likely be met with stiff resistance. Bradshaw was critical of the team’s pursuit for Rodgers last week.
“That’s a joke,” Bradshaw said on 103.7 The Buzz’s Morning Mayhem Show. “That is to me just a joke. What are you going to do? Bring him in for one year? Are you kidding me? That guy needs to stay in California. Go somewhere and chew on bark. Whisper to the gods out there.”
Either way, expect Rodgers to find a number, and it could be No. 8, currently worn by punter Corliss Waitman. Rodgers could also pick an entirely new number that has not been taken or worn by him in his career.