The Pittsburgh QB had a choice to make.
Why Aaron Rodgers is wearing jersey number 8 with Steelers and not Terry Bradshaw's 12 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are off to a fast start with one another.
Entering Week 7's Thursday Night Football matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers are 4-1 (having already had their bye) and lead the AFC North Division by multiple games.
Rodgers has fit right in and looked mostly like his normal self, aside from a bit of a lack of throwing the deep ball.
He's also looked somewhat familiar but also somewhat odd. Green Bay Packers fans will remember Rodgers as No. 12, but his other stops have featured this uniform number, 8.
There's a reason.
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Why isn't Aaron Rodgers wearing No. 12 jersey number with Steelers?
The Steelers haven't officially retired No. 12, but it hasn't been worn since Terry Bradshaw retired in 1983 after donning that number in a four-ring career.
It seems likely that Bradshaw will be the last Steelers player to ever wear 12, although Pittsburgh could still make the move to officially retire it.
Bradshaw was also against the Steelers signing Rodgers, so he likely wouldn't have wanted his digits given specifically to Rodgers, anyway.
Why is Aaron Rodgers wearing No. 8 jersey number with Steelers?
Rodgers has a history with the No. 8, too.
He wore that number in college at Cal, and he rocked it with the New York Jets in 2023 and 2024.
Rodgers didn't get to wear the 12 that he had in Green Bay for so long, but he chose a different number with a comfort level and some history.
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