New England Patriot Ben Watson talks fate of jersey number after addition of Antonio Brown
Veteran NFL tight end Ben Watson reacts to Antonio Brown joining the team and what may happen to the number 84 jersey they share.
The New England Patriots signed wide receiver Antonio Brown after he was cut by the Oakland Raiders on Saturday prior to the official start of the 2019 regular season.
Brown will join a wide receiving core that already features Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas and he will be another incredible target for Tom Brady.
However, there was one problem: Brown’s number.
Brown wore No. 84 on the Pittsburgh Steelers and was set to wear the same number when he was with the Raiders. Currently, Patriots tight end Ben Watson is No. 84. Watson appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Monday and addressed whether he would give up the number for Brown.
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“I’ve been asked that a lot,” Watson told “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade. “The reason why I took 84 … I’ve been an 82 since I left New England … And the reason why I took 84 back was because it was the number I was drafted in, the number I had when I was with the Patriots before, the number I felt like I would finish the circle in.
“But with that being said Mr. Kraft, the owner, owns all the numbers and I was told very early on in my career by a very wise veteran that we’re all renting those lockers and so it’s not my decision about the numbers. So we’ll see what happens with the numbers.”
Watson said he would “love to keep” the number but the decision to give it up wasn’t going to be his to make.
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Watson wore the No. 84 for six seasons while he was with the Patriots. He wore the No. 82 for three other teams. Watson is currently listed as No. 84 for the Patriots but he is suspended for the first four games of the season.
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