Steelers' Ramon Foster Reveals That His Most Special Jersey Swap Was With This Bona Fide AFC East Superstar

Pittsburgh Steelers players, just like players from every other NFL team, occasionally engage in the tradition of "jersey swapping" with other players. This is normally with someone from an opposing team. The practice has become a way to show respect for your opponents and teammates. 

Ramon Foster, who was an offensive guard during the 2010s for the Steelers is no exception. He now has a successful podcast, The Ramon Foster Show, which he co-hosts with reporter Dejan Kovacevic. It airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports. On a recent episode, he was asked about his favorite postgame jersey swap. 

Steelers' Ramon Foster Reveals His Favorite Postgame Jersey Swap

Foster played college football for the University of Tennessee before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Steelers in 2009. He became an integral part of one of the best offensive lines in the history of the team and spent his whole 11-year career playing for Pittsburgh. Despite college ending and several of the teammates going off to join other NFL teams, Foster says those fellow Volunteers will always be his brothers, including the one he swapped for a jersey. For that reason, a fellow Vol is his most cherished swap.  

"Arian Foster, my former teammate at UT. He was with the [Miami] Dolphins at the time."

The two Fosters were at Tennessee at the same time and hoped to enter the NFL Draft together. Things didn't happen the way they wanted and like Ramon, Arian was also an undrafted free agent and signed by the Houston Texans. He, like Ramon, was grateful for the opportunity and did not let it go to waste. 

After a slow rookie season, Arian really turned up the heat in his second year in Houston. At the time, the only player who had more rushing yards during a season opener than him was OJ Simpson. He broke the Texans' franchise record for most rushing yards in a single season. During the Week 4 game against the then-Oakland Raiders, he had the longest run in Texans history (at that time), when he scored a 74-yard touchdown.

This trend continued for Arian, and he primarily found success for the duration of his career. He was able to prove all of his pre-draft doubters wrong. However, running backs are prone to injuries and Arian was no different. In spite of those, he still managed to be selected to the Pro Bowl four times, be named All-Pro twice, the NFL's rushing touchdown leader twice, and the rushing yards leader once. 

"I never really did the jersey exchange, I did it with guys I played with for the most part in college. I would say that his was the actual last jersey that he played in too. He retired the middle of that week, the middle of that season right after the Dolphins game that we played against them," said Foster.

After spending seven seasons with the Texans, he was released by the team in 2016. He had racked up 6,472 yards and 54 rushing touchdowns. Those were both franchise records. He decided he wasn't quite done yet and signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. 

The Steelers played the Dolphins on October 16, 2016 in Miami. It was an awful game if you were a Steelers fan. Ben Roethlisberger was suffering from a knee injury and was gimpy all evening, throwing two interceptions. Ryan Tannehill, the Miami quarterback, and the rest of the Dolphins soundly whooped the Steelers. 

After the game was over, the two previously undrafted Volunteers that made it in the NFL exchanged jerseys in the middle of the field. Ramon recalls that as the last game that Arian played in. It was the last time that Arian would play the Steelers, but he did appear briefly in one last game. 

The following week, on October 23, the Dolphins played the Buffalo Bills. Arian rushed for five yards on three carries. He had sustained another lower-body injury and knew it was his time. He retired the next day. 

"Malik Jackson and Robert Ayers and a few others that I played with, but it has to be Arian because that was the last jersey he ever played in and that's kind of special for me. I played with him in college, so I blocked for him and then I got his last jersey."

Regardless of whether or not it was his last jersey or his second to last jersey, it is a monumentally cool keepsake from a remarkable football player. Arian and Ramon were two players who defied all the odds and had improbable journies into the NFL. This makes the fact that they were able to share a final moment together at the end of Arian's career even more special. 

What do you think about the jersey-swapping tradition? How obligated do you think these men are to swap with each other? Click to comment below. 

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