Abdul Carter reportedly decides on rookie jersey number

Abdul Carter has reportedly settled on his jersey number with the New York Giants.

According to league insider Ian Rapoport, Carter will go with No. 51 as a Giant.

Source: #Giants No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter plans to wear No. today and moving forward.

With rookie minicamp starting, Carter will be on the field with his new teammates after weighing several historic number options. 51 it is. pic.twitter.com/49jhqFh3HU

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 9, 2025

It was quite the journey for Carter to figure out his rookie number. He was publicly unsuccessful on 2 attempts to sport numbers retired by the franchise.

Carter initially sought No. 56, worn by franchise legend Lawrence Taylor. The number is retired, and Taylor did not give his blessing to Carter. Taylor called on Carter to create his own legacy.

I know he would love to wear that number. But, hey, I think it’s retired,” said Taylor in comments obtained by Steve Serby with The New York Post. “Get another number. I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous.

With No. 56 ruled out, Carter shifted his focus to his Penn State No. 11, the number worn by Phil Simms. On a podcast, Simms indicated that he would have been fine with Carter wearing No. 11, but was “outvoted by his family” and said no to the former Nittany Lion’s request.

With his jersey number figured out, Carter can shift his focus to getting ready for his rookie season in New York.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.