Since it was announced that the Patriots were signing wide receiver Romeo Doubs to a four-year contract, there has been a lot of discussion about whether he's a good fit, an overpay, or if this means that a trade for AJ Brown is off the table. All are fair questions and concerns, but there might be something Patriots fans are overlooking.
Throughout his career with the Packers, Doubs has donned No. 87 on his jersey. It's an unusual number for a wide receiver, since it is generally one that a tight end wears, and Patriots fans know who immediately comes to mind in that regard: Rob Gronkowski.
Since he retired for the first time in 2019, players have tried to avoid wearing Gronk's number unless the coaching staff gave it to them. That was the case with Mitchell Wilcox, who signed with the team in 2024 and is the most recent player to wear that number, and faced significant backlash for wearing that jersey, despite not choosing the number himself.
The same could be on the horizon for Doubs if he wants to continue wearing No. 87 in New England, and it might be something Patriots fans won't let go of.
Romeo Doubs' jersey number choice could have him start his Patriots' tenure on the wrong foot
Although No. 87 is not retired by the organization, Patriots fans have long attributed it to Gronkowski, and for good reason. But several players have worn it since the legendary tight end left the team seven years ago, including WR Tre Nixon, TE Matt Sokol, and Wilcox.
None of them stuck around in Foxboro for too long, but they still wore Gronk's old number, and it was never considered that big a deal beyond a subset of Patriots Nation.
While it's understandable that there's some attachment to the number because of a player who famously wore it, it's not retired, nor does it take away from or diminish what Gronkowski accomplished during his Patriots career. It would be more of an issue if it were No. 12, as most fans and even people outside of New England would agree that one should be off-limits.
But for Doubs, No. 87 should be fair game, and there shouldn't be that much of a fuss about it because, at the end of the day, it is just a number, and Robert Kraft has not decided to hang it in the rafters of Gillette Stadium.
So until that happens, he shouldn't receive grief if he wants to keep the number he's worn his entire career, and hopefully, a majority of Patriots fans will respect that and welcome him kindly.