Justin Fields, after his move to the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be sporting a new jersey number in the 2024 NFL season. ESPN reported that Fields will be wearing No. 2, while Russell Wilson will stick with No. 3.
Initially, ESPN had reported that Fields would switch to No. 5 upon joining the Steelers, but this has been debunked by recent news.
This marks the first time Fields will wear a different number in his career, having always worn No. 1 during his time at Ohio State and Georgia. However, it seems that Fields didn't choose to wear No. 2 in 2024.
READ MORE: Justin Fields true feelings on Chicago Bears clear after Pittsburgh Steelers switch
READ MORE: Caleb Williams makes instant impression as NFL fans go mad over No.1 NFL Draft prospect
The Steelers have specific rules regarding jersey numbers, and in this case, Fields must follow Pittsburgh's rule for wearing the No. 1 jersey. Although No. 1 is not officially retired, insiders believe it's unofficially retired as no player has chosen it since 1994.
Inside WW1 military hospital abandoned for decades before new lease of life
Currently, the Steelers have retired three numbers: No. 70 for Ernie Stautner, No. 75 for Joe Green, and No. 32 in honour of Franco Harris. The last player to don the No. 1 jersey for the Steelers was Gary Anderson, who wore it from 1982-94 and is also the team's all-time leading scorer with 1,343 points.
There's a common belief within the team that the No. 1 jersey is off-limits as it symbolises that no player is above the team. While some players have sported the No. 1 during training camp and preseason, none have worn it in a regular season game since Anderson.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 07: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears walks off the field after a loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 07, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)In other news, Wilson will be sporting the No. 3 jersey, which he previously wore during his time with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. This wasn't a surprise as Wilson revealed his new number in a video where he unboxed jerseys bearing his number.
For Fields, not only will he have to get used to a new number, but also to his role as a backup quarterback. Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin has already made it clear to both Fields and Wilson that Wilson will be the starting quarterback for the 2024 season.
However, Fields' former high school coach Matt Dickmann believes that the ex-Bears quarterback has what it takes to thrive in Pittsburgh, particularly after his Chicago stint ended as it did. Dickmann notably stated that the Bears failed to utilise Fields' natural talents and didn't do him any favours during his time in the Windy City.
"The great thing about Justin has always had the demeanor of when it's time to work, he works," Dickmann said exclusively to Mirror US Sport. "He can be playful when he wants to be playful, but he's very focused. And because he's so articulate, he would understand things a lot quicker than everybody else. But his demeanor was always great."
"You could go through a concept one time, and show him what we're trying to achieve and it would stick, but with others, you had to go over over and over and sometimes they still don't get it. We could add stuff in - new concepts, new plays - and every time we added them, it looked like a million bucks and that we were genius because of his ability.
"He was like this all the time. I mean, he could score six touchdowns or have a bad game - he never really had a bad game, mind - but he'd be hard on himself because of a mistake or turnover and you wouldn't know. You wouldn't know if we were winning or losing because of his demeanor. He has ice in his veins."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
