Number discourse in the NFL is fun superstition.
When a rookie or high-profile new signing arrives with a team, one of the fans’ first questions is what number that player will wear. The proper number equals starpower and the right to represent the franchise, while a “bad” number is an omen.
What makes a number “good?” A combination of history with other players who wore that number and overall aesthetic appeal. The cultural zeitgeist dictates that certain numbers feel right for specific positions.
Green Bay Packers fans are no different.
The Packers drafted their first first-round wide receiver in over 20 years, and surely, Matthew Golden deserved one of the “good” numbers. Golden started with 81 before pivoting to 22, a number that the internet despised.
But as new Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Micah Parsons (a real thing that happened) chose No. 1, a number with its own deep history in Green Bay, Golden made a number-related post of his own—a simple number “0.”
Golden will be the first Packer to wear 0, and his stock appears to be on the rise.
It might seem like a silly thing to care about, but both Golden and Parsons getting noteworthy numbers says a lot about how the Packers view these special players. It’s a powerful sign of respect from the front office and symbolic of the high expectations the team has for them.
Obviously, Golden and Parsons are in entirely different spots in their NFL careers. Golden is a promising rookie, especially given Green Bay’s history of waiting to draft wide receivers, but he hasn’t taken the field yet. Parsons is on the fast train to the Hall of Fame, and people are already mentioning him in the same breath as Packers legend Reggie White. Having the two highest in numerical order is a reward from the franchise, even if they haven’t played a regular-season NFL game as a Green Bay Packer yet.
Zero may not have a long history in Green Bay (it’s only been an option since 2023), but Golden will be the first Packer to represent the mysterious number. There hasn’t been any official reason given for a player to wear 0, and it seemed like a realistic option for MarShawn Lloyd when he was drafted in 2024. Zero was available even when Green Bay drafted Golden, but it wasn’t until Parsons received 1 that Golden made his change.
The Golden 81 era didn’t last long. Golden wore 2 throughout his career, but that number belongs to Malik Willis. So Golden doubled down with two 2s, a la 22.
Numbers in the 20s are uncommon for wide receivers, even though the NFL made them legal since they expanded the number options for multiple positions. Despite the lack of aura associated with the number, 22 held a great deal of meaning for Golden. His grandmother’s favorite number was 2, and keeping the 2 was a way to honor her; 22 also represented that 22 other teams passed on him in the draft, while 2002 was the last time the Packers took a first-round wide receiver.
Now, Golden will wear 0, and he hasn’t yet stated the reason for the change. Changing numbers is risky because the player must pay for all unsold jerseys with their previous number, highlighting that the change was meaningful enough for Golden to spend money facilitating it.
Everything we’ve heard out of camp is how good Golden looks and how NFL-ready he seems. He makes at least one big play each practice and stacks success. The Packers could already believe in Golden enough to let him be the first to wear 0.
For Parsons, No. 1 has a powerful but misunderstood legacy.
No. 1 was never officially retired. Still, no Packers player has worn it for over 100 years because of the association with Curly Lambeau, the man whose name is on the building.
The Packers initially considered a player wearing No. 1 in modern times. Jayden Reed reportedly was expected to wear it. However, the plan changed, and he ended up with number 11. The Packers likely weren’t willing to give the storied number to an unproven rookie. However, Reed ended up being the catalyst for 1 to be used in 2025.
Parsons wore 11, a number with its own heavy significance in Penn State, Parsons’ alma mater. According to Bill Huber, Parsons requested 11, but Reed did not want to pay to change his number. Instead of negotiating, Parsons chose between 0 and 1, settling on 1.
Some fans weren’t happy to see “Curly’s number” on another player, but Parsons consulted with team historian Cliff Christl before officially giving Parsons the number. Christl said that the number was never officially retired, and they consulted Ed Policy, the new Packers CEO. No one in the organization saw a problem.
While Lambeau was associated with the No. 1, you won’t often see pictures of him wearing it. Lambeau also wore 14, 20, and 42, according to Packers History. Uniform numbers in the 20s weren’t static, and players were just happy to have jerseys.
With the number unofficially retired, it lost all visibility. A player hasn’t worn it, and it’s not on the facade. Enough time has gone by that if the team really wanted to retire the number, they would have.
However, it makes sense not to give a number with that history to a rookie. Enter Parsons, one of the most established veteran players to ever sign with the Packers. The trade to acquire him is probably the biggest in franchise history. Unlocking the mythical No. 1 for the team’s new superstar says a great deal about how they feel about him.
Some fans might find it silly, but jersey numbers are one more way sports folklore becomes larger than life. Numbers have unique legacies for each sports team, even though it’s the players that make the jersey. Golden and Parsons aren’t guaranteed to be good just because they have historically unique numbers. Instead, it’s a sign of respect from the Packers to offer these two men numbers with such intrigue.