Though it’s unlikely to sway the organization, Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens still wants to be No. 1. On the team and on his jersey. Pickens shared this photo on his Instagram account showing him in a photopshopped No. 1 jersey with the caption “cmon man 1” while tagging the Steelers’ account.
Pickens’ plea comes on the heels of QB Justin Fields officially revealed to wear No. 2. It’s a departure from the No. 1 jersey he’s worn throughout the bulk of his football career, dating back to high school. But the Steelers’ unofficial team policy is not to hand out No. 1 jersey to any player.
It’s a bit unclear why the team’s policy is so rigid, perhaps a combination of “No. 1” signifying a me-first belief along with unofficially retiring the digit great Steelers’ kicker Gary Anderson wore throughout his career. Anderson played for the team from 1982 through 1994, making four Pro Bowls. He remains the Steelers’ all-time leader in field goals and total points, though K Chris Boswell could one day overtake him.
It’s not the first time Pickens has tried to grab a No. 1 jersey in Pittsburgh. The number he wore in college at Georgia, Pickens said he pushed the team to allow him to wear it after being drafted.
“That’s the number they gave me, to be honest,” Pickens said in December of his rookie year. “I tried to get #1 but I think it’s sacred or something like that.”
Instead, he had to settle for No. 14. Even though the NFL has relaxed its jersey policy, giving players more freedom to wear different numbers regardless of position, the Steelers have held firm. In some ways, they’ve made exceptions to their old-school approach, allowing OLB Melvin Ingram to wear No. 8 in 2021 while newly signed LB Patrick Queen was allowed to keep his No. 6 jersey, the same number he wore in Baltimore.
But it seems the closest George Pickens will get to wear No. 1 in Pittsburgh will come in mock-ups like that. Maybe he can switch his number in Madden, too. Because the Steelers aren’t budging on their stance.
