Packers first-round pick Matthew Golden to wear No. 81 uniform
Green Bay Packers first-round pick Matthew Golden was assigned the No. 81 uniform by the team on Friday.
It's a big aesthetic change for Golden, who wore No. 2 in high school, as a sophomore at Houston and as a junior at Texas. He wore No. 10 as a freshman at Houston. Backup quarterback Malik Willis currently holds the No. 2 uniform. Jordan Love wears No. 10.
It's unclear if Golden asked for the No. 2 uniform. Willis, who is entering a contract year in 2025, could be unable or unwilling to make the change.
Numbers in the 80s are traditional wide receiver numbers, but single digits and numbers in the teens have become more and more common as the league expanded options for various positions.
Julian Hicks also wears the No. 81, but a number change should be coming for the undrafted free agent.
Josiah Deguara previously wore the No. 81 between 2020 and 2023. Super Bowl XXXI MVP Desmond Howard also wore No. 81.
Among the notable players to wear No. 81 for the Packers: Geronimo Allison, Andrew Quarless, Koren Robinson, Tyrone Davis, Perry Kemp, Rich McGeorge and Marv Fleming.
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