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Green Bay Packers rookie Matthew Golden might not care much about his uniform number, but some thought went into picking No. 22 — a non-traditional number for a wide receiver — as his new digits in the NFL.
Golden, who wore No. 2 in high school, at Houston and Texas, explained his thought process behind getting No. 22 for his first professional number while meeting with the media for the first time at rookie minicamp on Friday.
“My grandma, her favorite number was 2 growing up. She told she wanted me to represent that number. I knew that last receiver that was drafted was 2002, so it made sense to me,” Golden said.
Golden said he talked to the Packers after getting No. 81 initially and made the switch. No. 2 — his preferred number — is currently worn by backup quarterback Malik Willis in Green Bay, so doubling up on the “2” was the play.
He’ll be confident as a player regardless of number.
“For me, it’s just a jersey number,” Golden said. “I could wear 85 if I wanted to. I’m still going to go out there and get open…there was just meaning behind the number 22 for me. It’s got history behind it so it made sense to me.”
Among those to wear No. 22 in Green Bay include Mark Lee, who intercepted 31 passes over 11 seasons for the Packers, and running back Elijah Pitts, who scored 34 total touchdowns as a five-time champion during the Lombardi era.
No. 22 isn’t completely foreign to wide receivers. Hall of Famer Bob Hayes famously wore No. 22 with the Dallas Cowboys. In Packers history, Desmond Howard wore No. 22 during the 1996 preseason before switching to No. 81 and becoming Super Bowl XXXI MVP.
Golden, who is from Houston, called his grandma his “best friend” and inspiration growing up.
“She helped me getting to this point,” Golden said.
Hear more from Golden below:
The Packers picked Golden at No. 23 overall in the first round, meaning 22 teams passed on him. He was the team’s first receiver picked in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002.
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