The Steelers have a dilemma if Aaron Rodgers comes to Pittsburgh

Aaron Rodgers still seems unlikely to join the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there is one dilemma this team would face if they were able to pull off this trade. 

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, Rodgers decides he wants to play in Pittsburgh. If, according to Mike Florio, the Steelers do have some trade compensation in place, then perhaps the deal goes through. Sure, a trade for Rodgers may not be the worst transaction in the world; we would have to wait and see.

Whether or not it’s a great decision is one issue. If Rodgers comes to the Steelers, it creates another quandary for Pittsburgh — one you might have never thought of. At the very least, this is some food for thought.

For all of his career, Rodgers has worn number 12. In many cases, such as Bret Farve, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady, they have taken their previous number with them. With the Broncos, Elway had number seven, Peyton had 18, the Jets and Vikings had no superstar with four unless you count Archie Manning from 1983 to 1984, so no issue there.

With the Buccaneers, no Hall of Famers had worn the number, so it was technically not an issue. However, Chris Godwin was wearing the number when Brady came into town, and not all players are equal in the scope of things. Godwin obviously gave up his jersey number.

Here’s the dilemma. The Steelers and another guy wear number 12 once; perhaps you have heard of him? It was Terry Bradshaw. He led the Steelers to four Superbowl wins and an induction into the Hall of Fame.

Steelers wouldn’t give Rodgers ‘number 12’… would they?

While not officially retired, the Steelers have not used number 12 since Bradshaw hung up his cleats. Regardless of where Rodgers goes, it’s hard to imagine him not wanting to take his Jersey number with him. So if Rodgers does come to Pittsburgh, then what happens?

The first option is that the Steelers do not give him number 12. The question is, will Rodgers still want to play for the Steelers if he does not get his jersey? Perhaps, who knows. He would get it in Tennessee or Denver. Does that influence his final decision? Maybe the Steelers should retire number 12 now before free agency begins. Somehow that’s unlikely to occur.

The second option is to give him the number 12. No one has worn it in a while, and officially the number is not retired. Granted, they do not just want to give it to anyone; however, if they do, Aaron Rodgers will more than likely be a future Hall of Fame inductee, so it would not be the worst idea.

The only issue with that, and perhaps, on the one hand, it seems a bit silly. Sure Bradshaw has not played in almost 39 seasons, and most people think of him as a Fox commentator and are too young to remember him play. That said, there are those of us, and sure that number dwindles every day, that do remember watching Bradshaw play, and we know how great he was, and many of us revered him as an idol, in the same way, others saw Joe Greene or Jack Lambert.

So while it may not be officially retired, it would still be a bit painful to watch someone else don number 12, especially someone who has not or will not spend their career in Pittsburgh. All the more reason, number 12 should be retired.

Should Rodgers come to the Steelers, it will be interesting to see how the jersey issue works out. Perhaps Rodgers is willing to part with number 12? Maybe he goes to Tennessee or Denver; then it becomes a non-issue.

At least Rodgers does not want or need number 7; taking that number could have been a bridge too far with many Steelers fans.