When Puka Nacua switched to wearing No. 12 instead of sporting No. 17 on the Los Angeles Rams after Davante Adams joined the squad, it was assumed that the veteran receiver paid Nacua a pretty penny to keep the number he’s worn the entirety of his NFL career.
Given the timing of the move, and the mostly joking price that he put on the number, it seemed at first like the switch was at least something of a deference from Nacua towards his new teammate.
However, it now sounds like Nacua voluntarily switched numbers, as he'd been wanting to sport No. 12 for quite some time.
Nacua admitted Adams joining the Rams was "perfect timing" for him to finally take No. 12 and give up No. 17. He had wanted to switch when he was a rookie in 2023, but it was too expensive. It worked out well that he could just give it up for Adams.
“They make you file out some paperwork before switching over your jersey number,” Nacua said when speaking to reporters on Tuesday. “And it was going to cost me a pretty hefty amount my rookie year and I didn’t have that money so I said, ‘I’ll wait the whole year.’ And it was just how the timing worked out on when they stopped making the jerseys and stuff like that. So 17 was free for Davante when he came over.”
Nacua sported No. 12 when he played at BYU. Adams has worn No. 17 his entire 11-year NFL career so far.
The two receivers seem to really be bonding on the field in OTAs. Nacua admitted when the Rams signed Adams that it was "surreal" for the veteran receiver to be joining the field with him. It'll be fun to watch them compete together in 2025, no matter what numbers they’re wearing.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Puka Nacua Says Number Change Had Nothing to Do With Arrival of Davante Adams.