Patrick Peterson hinted at wearing No. 7 for the Steelers, and the reactions were predictable

I wrote a piece a couple of weeks ago that mocked Steelers fans and their new hobby of photoshopping Steelers' uniforms onto players who aren’t even Steelers.

In the article, I referenced the 2022 offseason and how fans were so eager to see Aaron Rodgers come to Pittsburgh that they didn’t even bother to edit out the No. 12 when they photoshopped a black-and-gold uniform onto Rodgers’ likeness. I joked about Terry Bradshaw going to therapy because of it, and someone in the comments section responded to that by saying, “Terry Bradshaw has a big family, a great job, and just beat cancer. Someone from the internet not changing Rodgers’ number from 12 is less of a worry than what he’s gonna eat for breakfast.”

Sometimes, irony can be pretty ironic.

The Steelers agreed to terms on a two-year deal with free agent Patrick Peterson on Monday, the first day of the NFL’s legal-tampering phase; Peterson, a veteran cornerback who turned in a really good year with the Vikings in 2022 and is obviously going to be a starter with Pittsburgh in 2022, welcomed himself to town by tweeting:

“Let’s Work @Steelers Nation!!”

Nothing wrong with the text part of Peterson’s tweet—Steelers fans sure do love a player who works, references working, posts videos of himself working out, etc.

But Peterson made the mistake of photoshopping a Steelers uniform onto himself, complete with the No. 7, the number he wore in Minnesota.

This sent Steelers fans into a fit of rage, while also causing Steelers' real and pretend media to speculate on the possibility of Peterson wearing No. 7, Ben Roethlisberger’s number during his 18-year career in Pittsburgh.

“Here’s my poll,” said some in the pretend and real media. “What do you think of Patrick Peterson wearing No. 7 as a member of the Steelers?”

“I’m totally against it!” said many.

“I wish he would!” said many others.

And it just went on like that for hours on Monday night. It’s probably still going on as I write this article the very next morning.

By the way, Peterson also changed his Twitter profile pic to an image of the Steelers' six Lombardi trophies, so I guess that means he’s expecting to receive six Super Bowl rings as part of his two-year contract.

I don’t know if you’ve caught on, yet, but you’re being stupid if you think Peterson is going to wear No. 7 when he officially dons a black-and-gold uniform for the very first time this summer.

Like you, Peterson probably doesn’t have the technical chops to edit out the No. 7 he wore with the Vikings and was just using the standard photoshopping tools to turn his old white and purple into his new black and gold.

Obviously, the Steelers, an organization that has been very good about not issuing the numbers worn by its legendary players, isn’t going to allow Peterson to wear No. 7.

But I wish they would. I wish they would give Peterson Roethlisberger’s old number as if they were giving out Mason Rudolph’s old No. 2 jersey.

In fact, I hope Rudolph re-signs with the Steelers to be their third-string quarterback in 2023 and changes his No. 2 to No. 7.

Why? Because just when I thought the Steelers coverage couldn’t get any dumber, Patrick Peterson showed off his photoshopping skills (or lack thereof) and took everything to a whole new level.

Finally, if Patrick Peterson can get into the heads of opposing receivers the way he’s already gotten into yours with a mere Tweet, he’s going to be a valuable asset to the Steelers in 2023 and beyond.