56 Likely Off Limits for New Pats DT Godchaux
It’s safe to say Davon Godchaux was fired up to be signing with the Patriots when news of his two-year free agent deal began circulating Monday.
Godchaux reportedly will get $9 million in guaranteed money and can make up to $16 million after coming over to New England from the Miami Dolphins.
But Godchaux got a little carried away Thursday in a since-deleted tweet where he said he’d like to wear 56, the uniform number he carried on his back for 52 games over four seasons with the Dolphins.
It was quickly pointed out to Godchaux via a quote-tweet that very few players have ever worn 56, and no one has worn it since Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett retired in 1993, according to pro-football-reference.com.
Tippett’s number isn’t one of the seven Pats retired numbers, but clearly it has been taken out of circulation. With all the great players that have come through Foxboro during their run of six Super Bowl titles, it’s no wonder New England hasn’t retired a number since Bruce Armstrong in 2000. If they honored all their stars, the Pats would run out of numbers.
But Tippett was a special player for an era a decade before the Super Bowl title run started. He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He recorded 35 sacks in 1984 and 1985 — the largest two-season sack total in NFL history. He is the Pats all-time leader in sacks with 100.
We’ll find out soon what number Godchaux is going to wear, and he might be a great piece in another Super Bowl run by the Pats. But it’s unlikely he’ll be as great as Tippett and just as unlikely that number 56 will be coming back into circulation for him or anyone any time soon.
