Aaron Rodgers has joined a talented Jets team that’s expected to make a deep playoff run and perhaps accomplish something the organization hasn’t since 1969: win a Super Bowl.
But the future Hall of Famer isn’t going to wear No. 12, the number of Joe Namath, the only QB to lead the Jets to a Super Bowl title.
“I didn’t want to go down that path,” Rodgers told the media at a news conference Wednesday.
Instead, Rodgers will wear No. 8 — the same number he wore in college at California. It’s a savvy move by the 18-year veteran, who received the blessing from Hall of Famer Namath if he wanted No. 12.
There are many iconic images in NFL history. One of them is Namath raising his right finger in triumph as he jogged off the field following New York’s stunning upset of Baltimore in Super Bowl III. Days earlier, the ballsy Namath had guaranteed the victory.
Namath, whose number the Jets retired in 1985, was a larger-than-life figure in New York during his playing days.
Besides his football prowess, “Broadway Joe” starred in movies and commercials and frequently made the covers of tabloid magazines and newspapers. He dated Hollywood actresses and even wore a mink coat on the sideline.
If Rodgers wore No. 12, he’d have to endure endless comparisons to Namath. He’ll have enough on his hands in the white-hot glare of New York media.
If the former Packers star wins a Super Bowl in New York, he’ll become a Big Apple legend, too.
We guarantee it.
