It turns out that Tom Brady won’t have to change his number after all.
Brady, who had spent the past 20 seasons with the Patriots wearing No. 12, signed a new deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks ago. But many quickly noticed that the No. 12 jersey was already taken by wide receiver Chris Godwin.
Typically, when a player arrives to a new team with the preferred number already taken, there’s a negotiation that takes place between those two players. Sometimes gifts or money are exchanged. Sometimes the new player just chooses a different number. But when it came to Brady and Godwin, the now-Bucs teammates reached an agreement for free, according to the team.
The answer you've been waiting for…
Tom Brady: 1⃣2⃣
Chris Godwin: 1⃣4⃣
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 31, 2020
The Bucs tweeted out the official number change on Tuesday with Brady taking his regular No. 12 and Godwin switching to No. 14.
Godwin also shared a Photoshopped image on Instagram of him and Brady celebrating in their new numbers.
He wrote:
New number, same mentality !
Obviously, Godwin could have gotten something in return from Brady, but he opted to give up the number out of respect. He said via ESPN:
“He’s the GOAT.”
That’s a solid way to start a new quarterback-receiver relationship.
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