Ashton Jeanty wore No. 2 in college at Boise State. He really wanted to wear it in the NFL. In order to do so, he had to make a deal and cough up some dough.
Kicker Daniel Carlson was wearing No. 2 with the Las Vegas Raiders. He was not going to part with the number, unless the price was right.
Carlson did not say the number was not for sale, as some veterans do. He said Jeanty could buy it from him for the right amount.
Jeanty was the top running back in this year’s draft class and was the first ball carrier off the board when the Raiders chose him. He joins a Las Vegas team that traded for quarterback Geno Smith this offseason and is looking to compete in the AFC West with new head coach Pete Carroll.
Jeanty’s Quest to Wear No. 2
According to Pro Football and Sports Network, Jeanty sat down with podcaster Kay Adams and told her why he spent more than $60,000 to purchase the jersey number from Carlson. Jeanty, the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft in April, was a man without a number until the deal was struck.
Jeanty said to Adams, “I didn’t get this for free, man! I had to drop a little bag, man.”
Adams said, “I would like to know how much.” Jeanty replied, “I can’t put that out.”
She then asked, “You call him [Daniel Carlson], or you have someone call him? How does that go?”
“Originally, I talked to the head equipment guy. And he said, ‘You’re gonna have to talk to him about it.’” Jeanty explained why he wanted No. 2, saying, “I’ve worn it, like majority of my career. It’s the day greatness was born, the day I was born, December 2nd. It’s a family number. All my family members who played sports they wore No. 2 as well. It means a lot.”
Adams asked Jeanty how he got in touch with Carlson. The running back said, “[Raiders’ equipment manager, Bob] He gave me his number. Bob facilitated.”
Jeanty then reached out to Carlson and started to negotiate the deal for the ever-important jersey number.
“I’m trying to get that No. 2. I’m willing to negotiate whatever you’re thinking,” Jeanty said. “I gave him what I was thinking first, then he came back. I’m like, I gotta do it. I gotta drop that little bag for No. 2.”
What Did Jeanty Pay for the Number?
Adams tried to get a feel for how much Jeanty paid. Jeanty would not talk specifics, but she kept fishing for an answer.
“Are we talking college tuition? What are we talking, Adams asked. “Like a Honda Accord? What could you buy for that, like a brand new Lexus?”
Jeanty responded with an ambiguous answer, but did say, “You could probably buy a house. A nice-sized house. Actually, I’m not gonna say a house, not Vegas. I’m gonna say a car, like a nice Mercedes. You could buy a Mercedes GLE.”
According to Scott DeBenedetto of PFSN, “The base model for a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 costs $61,850. For professional athletes, $61,000 is a small bag, but Jeanty has it after getting just under $23 million as a signing bonus in his rookie contract.”
The clip finishes with Jeanty saying some of the money he gave Carlson will go to charity.
