The strange story behind Abdul Carter’s jersey number with the Giants

It was third time luck for New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter, who saw his first two choices of jersey number rejected by former players.

Carter was the No. 3 overall pick at the 2025 NFL Draft and the line backer is expected to be a key defensive piece for the Giants going forward. He enjoyed a stellar college career with Penn State, during which he wore the No. 11 jersey.

He had requested that number again with the Giants but it is officially retired in honor of team legend Lawrence Taylor. Carter also considered No. 56, but that too had been retired to pay respect to former player Phil Simms. The quarterback spent his entire 14-year professional career with the Giants and led the team to two Super Bowl triumphs.

The New York Post reports that Simms was actually happy to allow Carter to wear the No. 11 jersey until family members intervened. His son, Chris, revealed that the Giants legend’s wife and daughter had stepped in to stop it.

“I knew they threw a fit. I think it’s going to the point where literally there was like, they were shedding tears. I’m not trying to embarrass my mom or my sister, but that’s how important it was to them,” Chris said.

So, with No. 11 and No. 56 off the table, what number will Abdul Carter wear in his rookie season with the Giants. This week it was confirmed that Carter’s jersey will carry ’51′ on the back, a mixture of the two numbers that he had initially wanted.

“I feel like it’s going to have to grow on me a little bit, but it’s feeling good right now,” Carter said on Friday. “It’s pretty much what we had available. It’s a good number.”

“I’m just happy to be out here playing football,” he continued. “That’s all I’m worried about.”

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