Landon Collins never considered wearing Sean Taylor’s No. 21 jersey with Redskins

This offseason, there was some buzz that Landon Collins could be the first Redskins player to wear the No. 21 since Sean Taylor. However, Collins said he never considered it.

When the Washington Redskins signed Landon Collins this offseason, there was a lot of reason for excitement. The former New York Giants and University of Alabama safety joined the team on a six-year contract. At just 25, he is one of the league’s best tackling safeties and could help to improve a position that has long been an issue for the Redskins.

Ever since the tragic death of Sean Taylor, the ‘Skins have struggled to field competitive players at the safety position. Collins, who idolized Taylor growing up, is here to help change that and lock down a starting spot in the defense for the better part of the next decade.

However, one of the big storylines when Collins signed with the Redskins was about the number he would wear. Some argued that Collins should be the first player to wear No. 21 since Taylor’s passing, as the jersey has never actually be retired.

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Collins ended up choosing No. 20 and said that wearing Taylor’s jersey was “never in (his) mind.”

“That was never in my mind,” Collins said of wearing No. 21 in a recent phone interview with Riggo’s Rag. “All the reports came out that the jersey is not technically retired and that I had an opportunity to get it and stuff like that. I never had it in my mind to try and get that jersey.”

However, Collins would go on to say that had the family asked him to wear the No. 21 jersey, he certainly would have done it.

“If it was given to me by the family or the family asked me to wear it, of course I would wear it because it was given to me as a gift from the family,” Collins said. “But on top of that, I’m never going in there with the mindset of ‘Oh, I’m going to get 21 because my favorite player was there.’ No. That’s some big shoes to fill, first of all, and on top of that, a dramatic thing would have to happen in that situation to get that number.”

This certainly makes sense. The No. 21 jersey will always be connected to Taylor. And while Collins may have the talent level needed to live up to the lofty standards set by Taylor, wearing his jersey would just create added pressure on top of Collins’ already-high expectations.

But if the Taylor family wanted him to wear it? How could he say no to that?

Perhaps eventually, the No. 21 jersey will grace the field again for the Redskins. Or maybe it will be officially retired. But either way, it looks like Collins will be wearing the No. 20 during his tenure in Washington.