what do the patches on nfl jerseys mean

In the NFL, players who have been designated as team captains wear a "C" patch on their jerseys. The number of stars under the "C" signifies the number of years a player has been a captain, with each star representing one year of service. When a player has been a captain for at least five seasons, the "C" on the patch, along with the stars, becomes gold. The years spent as a captain stay with a player when he changes teams. Some teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, have elected not to wear the captains patches, although they still designate captains. The decision to wear or not wear patches can come from the coach or a team vote.