Packers’ Gary ‘had to take’ 52
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Rashan Gary, like all rookies, had the option to choose his jersey number from those available on the Green Bay Packers’ roster.
So the fact Gary requested to wear No. 52 was lost on no one. It’s the same jersey worn the past 10 seasons by Clay Matthews, the franchise’s all-time sacks leader. But Matthews left for the Los Angeles Rams in free agency this spring, leaving the No. 52 vacant.
That number won’t even get a full season off.
“I just stared at it for probably like five minutes,” Gary said of wearing an NFL jersey for the first time last week at the team’s opening day of rookie minicamp. “Then I realized I had to catch the bus, so I had to hurry up and put it on. But, man, wearing the green and gold, there’s just something about it. Coming to an organization like this, you understand the players that play here before you and the standard that you need to uphold. Every time I wear that 52, it means a lot to me. And I’m going to make sure I carry it with respect.”
Gary said he chose No. 52 not to send a message as the Packers’ highest-drafted edge rusher since Matthews was taken 26th overall in 2009 but as an homage to his college number. At Michigan, Gary wore the No. 3 jersey, an option not available to outside linebackers.
“Five minus two equals three,” Gary said.
“Clay Matthews is a guy,” Gary continued, “I used to watch his game a lot. I’m a bigger-type guy, but watching what he used to do, his passion for the game, I loved it. As soon as I seen it was open, I had to take it.”