UPDATE (9:57 PM): Peterson has heard from Steelers’ Nation. #7 isn’t happening.
Our original story is below.
New Pittsburgh Steelers CB Patrick Peterson has made a name for himself in the NFL wearing No. 21, the jersey number he got during his rookie season. However, he made the switch to his old college number when he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency, switching to No. 7. Appearing on the All Things Covered Podcast with former Steelers CB and cousin Bryant McFadden, Peterson expressed his desire to continue to wear the same jersey number he had in Minnesota.
“I would love to rock No. 7… always been special to me, man,” Peterson said on the All Things Covered Podcast.
There’s just one problem with Patrick Peterson’s request: That’s the jersey number of Pittsburgh’s former QB and first-ballot Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger officially retired at the conclusion of the 2021 season, leaving the No. 7 jersey unclaimed by Pittsburgh heading into 2022. However, out of respect to Ben, the Steelers didn’t have a player wear that number, and it has a good chance of getting retired after Roethlisberger led the Steelers for 18 seasons and to two Super Bowl championships.
“One thing about Pittsburgh… they’re not an organization that retires numbers just to anybody,” Bryant McFadden said on the podcast. “Now, one would think Big Ben probably would have his number eventually retired. I don’t know, but who knows? I don’t know if Big Ben would be like, ‘Yeah, Pat Pete can wear it’, who knows?”
Would Ben Roethlisberger allow Patrick Peterson to wear No. 7? Reading Ben, it seems like a stretch that he would allow another player to wear his number after finishing a Hall of Fame career and the likelihood that the number will be retired, officially or unofficially. However, perhaps Ben and Peterson have a good relationship off the field and that respect for another NFL great may allow Peterson to rep the number that carries a lot of sentimental value to him.
“When I got to my junior and senior year, I had a change of heart,” Peterson said. “Cause my dad, he was No. 7. He was a Blanche Ely legend as well. My first name was Patrick at the time. My last name was Johnson and my dad’s name is Patrick Peterson. So, being a kid, you always want to follow after your dad footsteps. And when I got to high school, all you hear about, ‘Man, Pat Pete used to do this when he was in high school. Man, he used to do that when he was in high school.’ So, I was like when I get on varsity, I want to rock No. 7 to be just like pops.”
Peterson went by the last name “Johnson” throughout high school. He formally changed it to “Peterson” in August 2008 when he signed with LSU. While with the Tigers, Peterson continued rocking his dad’s old jersey number. He would go on to have an illustrious career in Death Valley, being named a unanimous All-American in 2010 while winning the Jim Thorpe Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, Jack Tatum Award, SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, and first team All-SEC.
Personally, I wouldn’t expect Peterson to wear No. 7 next season. Pittsburgh has a longstanding history of not allowing players to wear certain numbers of former famed players (Troy Polamalu, Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, etc.). Ben Roethlisberger is likely no exception to this rule. With Mason Rudolph likely heading out of town, No. 2 will be available, which is Peterson’s former number before he switched to No. 7. Should he want to go back to No. 21, acquiring it from Tre Norwood shouldn’t be too difficult if that’s the direction Peterson chooses to take.
