The Rolling Stones famously sang, “You can’t always get what you want.” Abdul Carter is finding this out the hard way since the New York Giants selected the Penn State edge rusher with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Fans can’t wait to start buying jerseys for the rookies their teams picked in April, and that is going to be easier for some rather than others. Some of this years first round picks will get any number they want, while some, like Carter, are having a hard time finding a number they want to rock in 2025.
When contemplating what number he wanted to wear next season, Carter reached out to Giants legend and NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, thinking 56 would be a good fit. Taylor declined, saying Carter needs to create his own legacy. The next domino to fall was number 11, the same one he wore in college, and that has become a mainstay for the Nittany Lions best defensive player to wear. his number is also retired, but their seemed to be some hope surrounding it.
Phil Simms, the Giants former quarterback is the one who had it retired, but he said he would make it available to Carter or Jaxson Dart. “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 on FanDuel TV. “I think it would be a lot of fun. It wouldn’t bother me.”
Simms said his family forced him to do a 180 on that sentiment, though. Speaking to New York Daily News writer Gary Myers, Simms said his family outvoted him on the matter, so he retracted the offer to the rookies, who will both continue looking for a number to wear in 2025. With 56 and 11 off the table, what number or numbers make the most sense for Carter?
The number 58 was worn by possibly the greatest linebacker in league history outside of Taylor, and that was Derrick Thomas. The former Kansas City Chief died after a car wreck in 2000, at the age of 33. He was an absolute menace as a pass rusher, and Carter would be ecstatic to have the same career as him.
Thomas had double digit sacks seven times in his career, including a league leading 20 in 1990. He also holds the record for the most sacks in a game with seven, which he achieved against the Seattle Seahawks on November 11, 1990. He was a legend of the game, and wearing 58 to honor him would be a great move for Carter.
The problem is, number 58 is currently being worn by veteran Bobby Okereke. He’s 28 years old and a six year veteran who signed a significant free agent deal with the Giants in 2023. It is highly unlikely he will give his number to a rookie for anything less than a winning Powerball ticket.
The best defensive players in NFL history are generally three players. Lawrence Taylor, Deion Sanders, and Reggie White. Taylor already said Carter couldn’t wear 56, and linebackers aren’t allowed to wear numbers in the 20’s, so maybe 92 would be an option. A nod to White would be as big a deal as one to Taylor. The former fourth overall pick finished his career with 198 sacks. He led the league twice (21 in 1987 and 18 in 1988). He was a force to be reckoned with, much like Carter projects to be.
The problem with getting 92 is it’s another retired number, worn by Giants great Michael Strahan. Carter would have to ask permission, and likely get shot down again, or outvoted by Strahan’s family. Going 0 for 3 might be a bit embarrassing, and not the way one of Penn State’s all-time great defenders wants to start his NFL career.
The best thing Carter can do is pick a number that nobody is wearing and that can be retired under his name only. In 2023, the NFL allowed players to start wearing number 0 again. It became popular, and Parris Campbell initially wore the number for the Giants. He has since moved on, and the number is up for grabs.
If Carter has the kind of record-breaking career that he’s projected to have, and does it with one of the most storied franchises in NFL history, he could become the first player ever to have number 0 retired. That’s a true legacy. Not just wearing his own number, but paving the way to Hall of Fame any player to wear 0 after him.
Who knows what will drive Carter’s decision? It could be honoring an all-time great or starting his own legacy. It could be purely driven by jersey sales. When all is said and done, no matter what jersey Carter chooses to wear on Sundays, he will be expected to disrupt every passing game he goes up against. He could be one of the best ever, which means no matter what number he wears, it will become one of the greatest numbers of all time.
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