After a few back-and-forths with Giants legends, Abdul Carter has officially picked his NFL number.
The No. 3 overall pick publicly said a few weeks ago that he was interested in taking all-time defender Lawrence Taylor's former No. 56, if it was a possibility. That idea was shut down quickly, leading to some drama surrounding what digits Carter would choose.
But as of Friday, the former Penn State star has his new number.
Here's what number Carter chose and how Taylor's words helped shape his decision.
What number did Abdul Carter choose?
Carter is set to wear No. 51 for the Giants, per ESPN.
Before even being drafted, Carter had called Taylor the "greatest football player of all-time." So when he officially became a Giant, he stirred up some buzz when he told Micah Parsons that "56 sounds real good" when it came to choosing a new number. No. 56 is Taylor's old number, which is retired by the Giants.
Micah Parsons: “You gonna wear that No. 11?”
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) April 25, 2025
Abdul Carter: “I dunno, I got a different number in mind.”
Micah Parsons: “What number you have in mind?
Abdul Carter: “I dunno… 56 sounds real good.” pic.twitter.com/xRU2w6GgRq
Carter continued to praise Taylor, but the New York legend didn't take the request too kindly, telling the New York Post that Carter will need to find some new digits.
“I know he would love to wear that number, but hey, I think it’s retired," Taylor told the New York Post. "Get another number, I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous.”
Taylor also told ESPN that Carter "has to be the player that he is" and "he has to make his mark." Later on, another Giants legend in Phil Simms said he would be open to unretiring his former No. 11, which is what Carter wore at Penn State.
"I told some of my friends and people around me, 'I'd let him have it in a second. Can you just help it a little or make it better?'" Simms said, per ESPN. "I think it would be a lot of fun. It wouldn't bother me."
Not long after, Simms said he was "outvoted by his family," and his No. 11 would remain retired. After indicating his interest in two Giants legends' numbers, Carter had struck out both times. But he did make his decision unique, taking one digit from Simms' No. 11 and Taylor's No. 56 to come up with No. 51.
The last Giants player to wear No. 51 was pass rusher Azeez Ojulari, who signed with the Eagles in the offseason. New York's other first-round selection, quarterback Jaxson Dart, will wear No. 6.
