Terrelle Pryor changes jersey to No. 2, despite JaMarcus Russell curse

Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor wore No. 2 when he was a star at Ohio State, but he has not been able to wear that number at the NFL level. Pryor wore No. 6 during his rookie season in Oakland because No. 2 was considered a cursed number after legendary draft bust JaMarcus Russell wore it during three useless seasons with the team.

This season, Pryor will be looking to erase the foul stench that is attached to No. 2. He showed up to practice on Thursday sporting his old number.

“I had to do a double take,” Raiders quarterback Matt Flynn said in response to the change, via CSNBayArea.com. “Not only was it a new number, the jersey looked a little big on him.”

If that was a fat joke, it should be noted that Russell has lost a ton of weight and is no longer a 300-pounder. Pryor wanted to wear No. 2 when he came into the league, but former Oakland head coach Hue Jackson wouldn’t allow it. Current coach Dennis Allen allowed punter Marquette King to wear No. 2 last season, and he wound up on injured reserve. King switched to No. 7 this season.

From Pryor’s perspective, the No. 2 has served him well. Raiders fans have only bad memories associated with the number in recent history, but Pryor has a chance to break the mold. That will be no easy task. At least the team didn’t have to yank the number off someone else’s back to give it to Pryor. That wouldn’t have been the first time the Raiders have done that this season.

H/T Shutdown Corner