Josh Downs has a new jersey number with the Kansas City Chiefs, and it feels like a good sign of what’s to come
Josh Downs has a new jersey number with the Kansas City Chiefs, and wide receivers who wear it tend to have success with QB Patrick Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a new wide receiver, and he has a new jersey number to go with his new team.
Speaking to media members for the first time on Wednesday, Chiefs WR Josh Downs revealed he’ll be wearing a new jersey number. He wore No. 1 and No. 2 with the Indianapolis Colts, but he’ll go into double digits in Kansas City.
“I’m wearing 12,” he said.
Why the No. 12? It carries no specific meaning to the 25-year-old wideout. However, he did get a good suggestion from longtime equipment manager Allen Wright.
“No specific reason,” Downs said. “But you know the equipment manager was like, ‘Hey, you wore one, and then you wore two, so now you can put them together.’ So I’ll go with that.”
In college at the University of North Carolina, Downs wore No. 11. He also wore the No. 11 at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. All his former jersey numbers are now worn by others in the wide receiver room. Jalen Royals wears No. 11, Xavier Worthy wears No. 1, and Tyquan Thornton wears No. 2.
Someone else wore No. 12 before Downs landed that number.
Downs had to secure the No. 12 jersey from a Chiefs veteran
There was a bit of jersey-number musical chairs for K.C., with Downs landing No. 12. Of course, Chiefs TE Jared Wiley previously wore No. 12. That has been his number since his rookie campaign in 2024. But he’s now switched to No. 89, which practice squad TE Thomas Odukoya wore. With Wiley switching to No. 89, Odukoya will move to No. 81, which WR Nikko Remigio previously wore.
Why this jersey number choice might bode well for Downs in Kansas City
The No. 12 jersey has seen some notable wearers in Kansas City throughout franchise history. The most notable is likely former Chiefs QB Rich Gannon. However, the wide receiver history with this number and QB Patrick Mahomes is what stands out to me.
When Mahomes made his first start back in the final week of the 2017 NFL season, then No. 12 WR Albert Wilson had the best game of his professional career. It was their first time playing together, and it looked like they had been playing together for years. Wilson caught 10 receptions for 147 yards against the Denver Broncos. That game contributed largely to Wilson’s offseason payday with the Miami Dolphins: $24 million.
Another No. 12 success story at wide receiver? When Mecole Hardman first played for the Chiefs, he wore No. 17. After returning to Kansas City via trade in 2023, Hardman wore No. 12. That year? Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown reception in Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers in Overtime.
Even when the on-field production isn’t elite, the Chiefs had an all-time team player in Gehrig Dieter wearing the number. Maybe it’s just wishcasting, superstition, Chiefs Devil Magic, or something else entirely. However, the No. 12 jersey choice could certainly pay off for Downs.
