With quarterback Justin Fields coming to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a discussion around the No. 1 jersey has resurfaced around the organization. On April 5, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens joined the conversation.
Pickens appeared to campaign for the right to wear No. 1 in his Instagram story.
“@steelers cmon man,” wrote Pickens as a caption to a photoshopped image of himself wearing a No. 1 jersey.
Pickens also included a “1” block emoji in the caption.
Steelers Depot’s official X (formerly Twitter) account interpreted Pickens’ post as him advocating to wear No. 1.
“George Pickens still pushing for that No. 1 jersey on IG,” wrote Steelers Depot.
George Pickens still pushing for that No. 1 jersey on IG. #steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/deFE89wbJN
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) April 5, 2024
Like Fields, Pickens wore No. 1 in college. Fields also donned No. 1 for three seasons with the Chicago Bears.
But no one has worn No. 1 in a regular season game for the Steelers since the 1994 season. Pickens has worn No. 14 in his first two seasons in Pittsburgh.
On April 4, the Steelers announced Fields would wear No. 2 this season.
Jersey numbers for the new guys ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tuZaucr5Sx
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 4, 2024
Why George Pickens, Justin Fields Can’t Wear No. 1 for the Steelers
It’s unclear if Fields attempted to get No. 1 in Pittsburgh. One could argue that based on Pickens’ Instagram story post, Fields probably did.
However, it’s pretty clear Pickens wants to wear No. 1. If the jersey number was available in the Steelers organization, the receiver would probably already be wearing it. It’s unlikely the team would be willing to give the number to Fields but not Pickens.
The last player to wear No. 1 for the Steelers was kicker Gary Anderson. He donned No. 1 for the team from 1982-1994.
Anderson finished his career kicking for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans. But he kicked longer in Pittsburgh than the other four teams combined.
Furthermore, Anderson is the all-time points leader in Steelers history. His 1,343 points is nearly 400 more than any other Steelers player.
The Steelers have not officially retired No. 1. The only jersey numbers retired in Pittsburgh are No. 70 (Ernie Stautner), No. 75 (Joe Greene) and No. 32 (Franco Harris).
But the franchise has several numbers “unofficially” retired such as No. 12 (Terry Bradshaw), No. 58 (Jack Lambert) and No. 36 (Jerome Bettis).
CBS Sports’ John Breech wrote on April 5 that “it’s believed” that the Steelers have given No. 1 the same “unofficial” retirement treatment.
Interestingly, Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith wrote that there’s a different reason the Steelers don’t have a player wear No. 1.
“The Steelers don’t like to issue the No. 1 jersey as a symbol that no one player is more important than the team,” wrote Smith.
Instead of No. 1, Fields will wear No. 2, which Mason Rudolph wore in Pittsburgh.
RB Cordarrelle Patterson Will Wear No. 84
No. 1 isn’t the only number controversy in Pittsburgh this offseason.
On April 2, Patterson asked his X followers if he should wear No. 84 or switch to a different jersey number. Former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown responded with a picture of himself and the caption “Only 84 you would EVER C Patterson.”
Brown wore No. 84 for the Steelers from 2010-18. Patterson will be the first player to wear the number for the Steelers since Brown.
The 4-time first-team All-Pro receiver didn’t seem pleased about the team giving Patterson No. 84.
“May have to retire a Raider #84,” wrote Brown on X in a quote tweet of the new Steelers jersey numbers on April 4.
Brown continued to be critical, claiming on X that he would play for the Steelers “for free” this season if they allowed him to wear No. 86. No Steelers player has worn No. 86 since Hines Ward retired in 2011.
In the Steelers defense, they aren’t giving No. 84 to some average joe. Patterson holds the all-time NFL record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a career.
