The New York Giants selected Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter No. 3 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, arguably landing the best overall talent available in the first round.
Not long after he landed in East Rutherford, New Jersey and officially joined the team, his journey to select a number became very public. At first, he asked Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor if he could wear No. 56 (retired by the Giants in 1994). Taylor flat out denied him (respectfully) and told him to find a new number to make his own and retire someday.
“He has to be the player that he is,” Taylor told ESPN. “He can’t be another Lawrence Taylor. Well, he may be better than a Lawrence Taylor, who knows? But he has to make his mark. It’s up to him.”
Soon after, Carter asked two-time Super Bowl champion QB Phil Simms if he could wear No. 11 (Carter wore it in his time at Penn State). Simms almost relinquished his retired number but was apparently outvoted by his own family to keep it as such. Carter's search for his Giants' number continues to this day.
One expert has solved Abdul Carter's jersey number dilemma
While fans and pundits can debate whether Carter's tactic to ask for retired numbers was disrespectful or not (see Malik Nabers getting No. 1 unretired by the Giants), there may be a simple solution.
Good Morning Football host Kyle Brandt proposed a compromise on Monday for Carter in his quest for an iconic and available number in New York.
I solved Abdul Carter’s jersey number dilemma. pic.twitter.com/fTnD2i0ZB3
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) May 5, 2025
Brandt suggested Carter take Taylor's 56 and Simms' 11 and split the difference ... literally. He pulled out a white board and erased the six and one to reveal Carter's new number: 51.
"51 is available on the Giants' roster right now, 51 is not retired by the New York Giants, it's half of LT, it's half of Simms, it's a classic linebacker number," he explained. "The Giants fans will respect it, it's an old fashioned number, and that will resonate with them and I think [Carter] will make it [his] own."
It's actually a pretty good idea. The Giants can market that choice really well and it sets up an intriguing narrative to follow if his career does, indeed, pan out successfully for the franchise.
Carter has an opportunity here and rather than drag out an unnecessary number controversy that leaves the spotlight on him for the wrong reasons, he should just take the next jersey and let his football do the talking.