Joey Porter Jr. has no plans to switch up from his No. 24 jersey. And as the story goes, he picked it in honor of Ike Taylor, who sported the same digits a decade earlier during his run as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top corner. But the truth is, if the Steelers weren’t old-school in their jersey philosophy, Porter would be sporting a different jersey. Appearing on the Arthur Moats Experience with Deke podcast in an interview recorded yesterday, Porter explained the real story of how No. 24 came to be.
“Basically I came in, I was like, ‘I’m trying to get a single-digit first,'” Porter told the show. “I know I wasn’t gonna get nine because that was my number at college, but Boswell had nine. So I was like, I’m not getting that. So the next option was five or eight. That was my two favorite numbers coming out.
“But Coach T was like, ‘Yeah we don’t, we don’t do single-digits anymore. That’s not our thing, that’s not a Steelers thing’…So then they gave me the number options and I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll definitely go with and rock the 24.'”
It’s probably still true Porter chose No. 24 from the options the team gave him for Taylor. But it wasn’t exactly his first (or second) choice. Pittsburgh’s largely maintained a tradition of “conventional” jersey numbers, leaving single-digits for quarterbacks and specialists, not receivers and corners even as the league has relaxed their parameters. The same happened to WR George Pickens while QB Justin Fields couldn’t keep his No. 1, a digit off-limits to everyone for its self-aggrandizing connotation.
Naturally, it led to a follow-up of how Porter felt once he found out LB Patrick Queen was keeping the No. 6 he wore in Baltimore, the Steelers making an exception to their rule.
“I was pissed,” Porter told the show with a laugh. “I was mad. I text Coach T immediately. I was like, so what’s going on? He was like, ‘Give me an All-Pro season, then we could talk about it.'”
The biggest free agent signing in Steelers history comes with its perks. Queen, named second-team All-Pro during his breakout 2023 season, racked up 133 tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception in his final year with the Baltimore Ravens.
Leave it to Tomlin to turn jersey numbers into creating a competitive edge. Given Porter’s talent, he has a chance to become All-Pro, though a lack of splash plays will hurt his cause the way they impacted Ike Taylor’s. But even if Porter meets Tomlin’s goal, he’ll probably keep his jersey status quo.
“I don’t know, 24 has been good for good to me lately,” Porter told the show. “And it’s just a good tradition. Uncle Ike had it, he was a lockdown corner. Now, I get to rock the number. Twenty-four fits right now.”
Given the NFL requires players to buy out their jerseys for sale when they change jersey numbers, a cost that can top seven figures, Porter has plenty of reason to stick with what he’s got. Whether it’s No. 24, No. 8, or No. 5, the only numbers is No. 1. No, Porter won’t get that digit either, but if he continues to be the No. 1 corner on the Steelers, he’ll be happy with how everything unfolded.
