Because time is a flat circle and the Earth is in a constant, but repeated path around the sun, we often arrive at the same NFL storyline during the same portion of the offseason.
Enter new Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, a star player whose college number was not available to him in the NFL. You don't say.
Per U-T San Diego, Gordon has yet to convince Darrell Stuckey, a team captain, to fork it over.
"Good dude," Gordon said of his teammate, "but I'm not going to give up."
Chances are, some money will change hands here. Some charity will get a donation. As a former low-level high school backup who donned the prestigious No. 61, I can say with certainty that numbers have very little impact on how you play. If I were Stuckey, I would sell it immediately.
But what will it cost? Here are a few precedent setting jersey transactions, ranked in order of the personal enjoyment they provided:
1. Clinton Portis' $40,000 promise: Many people don't remember this, but Portis and Ifeanyi Ohalete ended up in court over the matter. Portis purchased the rights for $40,000 but ended up skipping out on a large portion before legal action was taken. Ohalete was also challenged to a boxing match by Portis, which sadly never happened. Ah, America.
2. Tripping Icarus: When Donovan McNabb arrived in Minnesota, he had to purchase the No. 5 from punter Chris Kluwe, who demanded that McNabb cut a $5,000 check to a charity of his choice, mention Kluwe's band Tripping Icarus at five press conferences and also buy Kluwe an ice cream cone. Apparently McNabb backed off of the last two.
3. Throwing money around:Darrelle Revispaid Bucs safety Mark Barron $50,000 for the right to wear No. 24 for one year in Tampa Bay.
4. The ultimate deal maker: Former Giants punter Jeff Feagles sold two separate jersey numbers and ended up with a boatload of perks. First, he dealt No. 10 to Eli Manning in exchange for a paid vacation to Florida. He then sold No. 17 to Plaxico Burress who had to foot the bill for a new outdoor kitchen in Feagles' offseason home. Punters are such nomadic creatures that it's unbelievable no one ever called his bluff and simply asked for the number. I mean, he wore five different numbers in his career. Good on him though, an outdoor kitchen sounds fantastic.
5. Deion Sanders and the sports car: Sanders paid straight cash for a BMW 325i and handed it over to Alundis Brice for his No. 21 in Dallas. According to Jeff Pearlman, Sanders left the keys in Brice's locker with a note that read: "Now give me my damn jersey!"
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