Aaron Rodgers Gave a Nod to His Personal and Franchise History by Changing His Number

Sometimes, an athlete’s number is even more iconic than their name. So when an NFL player changes their number, such as Aaron Rodgers when he moved to the New York Jets, it’s a pretty big deal. For 18 years, Aaron played with the Green Bay Packers, where he became synonymous with the number “12.”

But now that Aaron is a Jet, he’s seen donning the number 8. For Aaron’s fans who followed him to the East Coast, his change in number is a jarring surprise. But for lifelong Jets fans, Aaron changing his number from 12 makes all the sense in the world.

Aaron rose up as a star quarterback with the Green Bay Packers, where he started his NFL career in 2005. When he joined the team, he ended up with the jersey number 12 after his college number was unavailable. It was a random number to him at the time, but it was the number that made his career.

However, when he was signed by the Jets in 2023, he knew he would play with a different number. Although he was out most of the season with an injury, he’s back on the field for the 2024 NFL season wearing a new number. This is because the Jets retired the number 12 in the 1980s to honor the great Joe Namath, the star quarterback who led the Jets to their only Super Bowl victory in 1968.

So, it was only fitting and respectful that Aaron picked a different number when playing with the Jets. Luckily, there was one available he’s had his eye on since his college years. When he played for the California Golden Bears, he proudly wore the number 8. While it wasn’t available when he started playing with the Packers, it was available when he moved to the Jets, so it was the perfect match.

Although the Jets retired the number 12 in honor of the great Joe Namath, Joe said himself that Aaron had his blessing to wear the same number. When rumors started circulating about the Jets’ potential interest in drafting Aaron, Joe went on Tiki & Tierney to discuss the possibility of Aaron wearing his number.

"Well, it's on ownership,” Joe said. “It's different ownership. Different people. And I'd sure love Rodgers if he's there. Yeah, I want him to wear his number. We established ourselves and we've got a real respect for our numbers, and Aaron Rodgers, God almighty, yeah! It'd be great to have him in New York."

However, Aaron ultimately decided to respect the Jets franchise and go back to his college roots. "There are some iconic names that have played here, probably none more iconic than number 12," Aaron said at his introductory press conference. "And I heard what he said about unretiring his number, but to me, 12 is Broadway Joe and I didn't even want to go down that path. And I'm excited about going back to my college number."

Both Aaron and Joe seem to be rooting for the Jets. They hope that the Packers’ former number 12 can re-create the success of the Jets’ former number 12.