Along with a new home, Justin Fields will also wear a new number when he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2024 NFL season. It was reported by ESPN on X that Fields will be donning No. 2, while Russell Wilson will continue to wear No. 3.
ESPN originally reported that Fields was switching to No. 5 as a member of the Steelers, however, that has been disproven with this recent announcement. With the switch, Fields will be wearing a different number for the first time in his career, as the young signal-caller had always worn No. 1, even when he played at Ohio State and Georgia.
However, it appears it was not Fields' decision to wear No. 2 in 2024. The Steelers have certain rules when it comes to jersey numbers and for this particular instance, Fields will have to abide by Pittsburgh's rule when it comes to wearing the No. 1 jersey.
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Though No. 1 is not officially retired, those around the organization believe the number is unofficially retired as no player has been allowed to pick the number since 1994. Currently, the Steelers have retired three numbers: No. 70 for Ernie Stautner, No. 75 for Joe Green and No. 32 to commemorate Franco Harris.
The last person to wear No. 1 for the Steelers was Gary Anderson from 1982-94, who also happens to be the team's all-time leader scorer with 1,343 points. Additionally, there is a belief around the team that no player is allowed to wear No. 1 because it is meant to signify that no player is above the team.
Although players have worn No. 1 in training camp and preseason, no players who have played in a game in the regular season have worn the number since Anderson.
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Meanwhile, Wilson will be wearing No. 3, which he wore as a member of the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Wilson's jersey number was not unexpected as in the video announcing his intention to join the Steelers, the 35-year-old unpackaged a box containing jerseys with his number on it.
For Fields, along with adjusting to wearing a new number, he will also have to adjust to being a backup quarterback. Pittsburgh's head coach Mike Tomlin has already made it known to both Fields and Wilson that the latter will be the starter once the 2024 season begins.
That said, Fields' old high school coach Matt Dickmann believes that the former Bears quarterback has what it takes to succeed in Pittsburgh, especially after his stint in Chicago ended the way that it did. Notably, Dickmann says the Bears underutilized Fields' natural talents and did him no favors 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.”
