Aaron Rodgers has the blessing of Joe Namath to wear No. 12 for the Jets, but some fans are not happy
- Aaron Rodgers wants to play for the New York Jets this season.
- His No. 12 is retired by the Jets in honor of legendary QB Joe Namath.
Aaron Rodgers is on the cusp of leaving the Green Bay Packers after 18 seasons and joining the seemingly forever-cursed New York Jets.
There are still two questions left to answer: 1) What will the Jets give the Packers in the trade? and 2) What number will Rodgers wear with Gang Green?
The first question should be answered in the coming days and weeks. The second might already be answered, and some fans are not happy.
Typically, a player with Rodgers' Hall-of-Fame credentials can have any number he wants. But in the case of the Jets, his typical No. 12 is retired, in honor of the biggest name in the franchise's history, Broadway Joe Namath.
While the final decision is ultimately up to the Jets and their management group, Namath had already given an emphatic blessing for Rodgers to use the number during an appearance on "Tiki and Tierney" in January.
"Well, it's on ownership; it's different ownership [from when the number was retired], different people," Namath said. "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."
It is worth noting that Rodgers wore No. 8 in college at Cal, so he has other options. When asked what number he would wear, he told "The Pat McAfee Show" that he wasn't ready to make that decision.
"With respect to the emotions, I think there'll be time for all those conversations down the road," Rodgers said.
While most Jets fans are probably ecstatic about the prospect of landing Rodgers and hopefully winning the team's first Super Bowl since Namath was under center, some are not happy about the idea of trading for Rodgers or letting someone else bear the hallowed No. 12.
ESPN's Mike Greenberg, a long-suffering Jets fan, addressed these fans during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" while discussing the potential Rodgers trade.
"Joe Namath has given his blessing for Aaron Rodgers to wear No. 12, and I got Jets fans tweeting at me, 'Greeny, if they give him 12, I'm not rooting for him then anymore.'" Greenberg said. "Shut up! What are you talking about? How did that become important to you if it's not important to Joe? We have tried everything else for 50 years, and we've sucked."
Greenberg was also upset with fellow Jets fans for their "trepidation" and "negativity" about acquiring Rodgers, noting that if they trade for him, he "immediately — immediately! — becomes the best player the New York Jets have ever had."
Meanwhile, Greenberg is not shy about how excited he is for the Jets to have Rodgers.