Corliss Waitman had no problem relinquishing his No. 8 jersey to Aaron Rodgers, asking for nothing in return for it. The veteran punter knew he had a bargaining chip while playing one of the cheapest positions in the NFL. And Rodgers probably has a couple dollars stashed away somewhere, I would think.
But Waitman is perfectly content in his new No. 3 jersey, he told Chris Adamski, because it says what matters. “People always talk about the number”, he said, when it comes to players and their identities. “I’m just glad my jersey’s got a Pittsburgh Steelers logo on it”.
That would be a good answer even if Corliss Waitman weren’t desperately fighting for a job—which he is. The Steelers only picked him up in Week 2 a year ago after starting P Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending injury. Although he filled in more than admirably, they signed Johnston for a reason.
Special teams coordinator Danny Smith did seem to leave the door open for a competition, though. During mandatory minicamp, discussing Johnston and Waitman, he said training camp was “gonna be interesting”.
Waitman relayed a story of somebody telling him that players these days can get good money for their jersey numbers. While that’s likely true, especially from a franchise quarterback, that’s not everything. “I’m like, ‘Man, we get a lot of money to play football.’ You know what I mean”?
The Steelers originally signed Corliss Waitman as a rookie college free agent in 2020. He played two games in 2021 for the team, which was enough of a portfolio to earn a job in Denver the following year. However, he did not hold down a starting opportunity in 2023.
Nor did he open with a starting job last year. But the Steelers signed him when they needed a punter, and he delivered. Although modest by modern league standards, Waitman actually set a Steelers record last season.
The thing is, Waitman had no great attachment to the No. 8, anyway. “I’ve still got a single digit”, he mused. “I’ll be like, ‘What, you don’t like No. 3?’ They’ll be like, ‘Yeah, I like No. 3,’ and I’ll say, ‘No, I love No. 3’”.
“I like my single-digit number. It still looks good”.
Of course, the No. 3 jersey last season with the Steelers belonged to Russell Wilson. It’s not an uncommon number for specialists, though. Before Corliss Waitman claimed it, so, did Brad Wing, Matt McCrane, Jeff Reed, Kris Brown, Rohn Stark, and Mark Royals.
If he wants to remain with the Steelers, though, Waitman has his work cut out for him. They signed Cameron Johnston a year ago because he was one of the best punters in the NFL. Although Waitman did a solid job, he did not put up elite numbers. With more time invested in him, he can continue to grow. But it is a tough sell to pass on a sure thing, which is what they saw in Johnston.
