During his introductory press conference with the Jets on Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers explained why he decided to wear No. 8 rather than No. 12 with his new team despite receiving Joe Namath’s blessing to dawn his retired number.
Shortly after the Rodgers megadeal was reported on Monday, a report emerged detailing the four-time MVP’s intention to wear No. 8, his college number at California, rather than the No. 12 he wore during his 18 years with the Packers. As expected, many speculated the reason had to do with the Hall of Fame Jets quarterback’s No. 12 already being up in the rafters, a notion Rodgers confirmed with a classy response to reporters.
“I heard what he said about unretiring his number, but to me, 12 is Broadway Joe,” Rodgers said. “And I didn’t want to even go down that path, and I’m excited about going back to my college number.”
Rodgers deciding to return to No. 8 out of respect for Namath, who had his jersey retired in 1985, serves as one of several signs that the future Hall of Famer is fully embracing the next chapter of his career. His arrival in New York ends months of buzz around the NFL and the city, a run that included a notable endorsement from Namath regarding Rodgers potentially wearing his No. 12 if he came to the Jets.
“If he’s there, yeah, I want him to wear his number,” Namath said back in January. “We establish ourselves, and we got a real respect for our numbers, and Aaron Rodgers, God almighty yeah, it would be great to have him in New York.”
As if the sight of “Jets era Rodgers” wasn’t going to be enough of an adjustment already, seeing the 39-year-old wear a number he hasn’t worn in nearly 20 years will only add to it. Of course, for Jets fans, it likely doesn’t matter what number Rodgers wears as long he manages to deliver a second Super Bowl over four decades after “Broadway Joe” did so in 1969 with a win in Super Bowl III.
