Ever a conspiratorial bunch, New York Jets fans were driven into a frenzy Monday evening by two simple numbers: five and 17.
On Monday, Jets punter Thomas Morstead posted a picture of himself handing over his No. 5 jersey to wide receiver Garrett Wilson—the reigning AP and PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year.
“Honored to pass #5 to GW,” the former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion posted. Morstead, who wore No. 15 at SMU from 2006 to ’08, has worn four different numbers (No. 6, No. 19, No. 4 and No. 5) in his NFL career.
Wilson, who wore No. 17 his first two years in the NFL, wore No. 5 with Ohio State. With No. 17 on New York seemingly open, speculation immediately began to swirl around a certain No. 17 on the Las Vegas Raiders—wide receiver Davante Adams.
Honored to pass #5 to GW#Jets pic.twitter.com/U2oAJF7pzE
— Thomas Morstead (@thomasmorstead) January 9, 2024
You mean this like?!?! https://t.co/ixHhFkSgzg pic.twitter.com/zjiG01qNaS
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) January 9, 2024
Adams, a teammate of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s for eight years on the Green Bay Packers, is coming off a season of discontent with the Raiders. He hit a four-year low in receiving yards with (a still-good) 1,144, and a six-year low in yards per game with 67.3.
Is it irresponsible to connect the dots for a potential trade based on one liked tweet? Probably. However, that’s what NFL fandom is all about—an axiom that holds especially true for New York.
