Ashton Jeanty’s nickname is Deuce. His twitter handle is Deuce2. He wore No. 2 at Boise State. He says it’s because he was born on December 2 when, as he puts it “Greatness was born that day.” So, it would seem only natural that he wear the same number in the pros, right?
The only problem with that is that number for the Raiders is taken…by kicker Daniel Carlson.
Or at least it *was*. It appears Jeanty has pried it away from the Raiders Pro Bowl kicker, because as of now, NFL shop is already selling Jeanty No. 2 jerseys.
So, the question now is 1. What did it take for Jeanty to get the number from Carlson. And 2. What number is Carlson switching to?
Carlson likely doesn’t have a great deal of attachment to the number. It’s his third number in the pros. He wore number seven with the Vikings. It’s not even the only number he’s worn with the Raiders. He first wore No. 8 before switching to No. 2 after his first two seasons with the team. And he wore number 38 at Auburn.
So, it’s possible Carlson just did the right thing and surrendered the number to Jeanty knowning how much it would mean to the young back. I suppose we’ll find out next time we speak with Carlson and/or Jeanty what kind of arrangement they made.