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Abdul Carter is running out of retired numbers to choose from.
The New York Giants picked the highly touted edge rusher out of Penn State with the third overall pick, and shot for the moon with his initial jersey-number request.
Carter asked Lawrence Taylor, perhaps the greatest Giant and defensive player ever, whether he could wear his No. 56, which was retired by the Giants in 1994. It was a hard no from LT himself.
“I know he would love to wear that number,” Taylor said. “But, hey, I think it’s retired. Get another number. I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous.”
Former quarterback Phil Simms then said he would allow Carter to wear his No. 11, which was retired by the Giants in 1995.
Carter wore the number throughout his career at Penn State. It is a badge of honor at the school, given to a player the school, and the last representative, feels is worthy. The previous Nittany Lion to wear it before Carter was Micah Parsons, who wears it now with the Dallas Cowboys.
Carter said it would be an “honor,” but Simms’ family are actually who shut it down.
Longtime New York sports writer Gary Myers posted on X that Simms told him that his own family “outvoted” him.
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Upon hearing the news, Carter joked that he would “be out there with just my last name on my jersey, no number.”
Last season, the team un-retired Ray Flaherty’s No. 1 for wide receiver Malik Nabers, who wore No. 9 throughout college. Flaherty’s number retirement was the first in professional football history. Flaherty’s family gave the Giants permission to un-retire the number for Nabers, who wore it well. Nabers, as a rookie, set the franchise record for most receptions in a season, with 109.
The G-Men have 13 retired numbers for 14 players. (The No. 14 is for Ward Cuff and Y.A. Tittle.) Warren Moon recently granted Cam Ward permission to wear No. 1 with the Tennessee Titans.
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