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Abdul Carter jersey number: Lawrence Taylor shuts down idea of newest Giants member taking No. 56

When the Giants used their No. 3 overall pick on Abdul Carter, they did so with the hope that he become a franchise legend.

Carter’s dominance at Penn State, with a unique blend of burst, power, and versatility, was on full display, making him an elite 2025 NFL Draft prospect. Now a Giant, Carter will have to pick what number he wants to wear in the Big Apple.

There’s at least one number Carter definitely won’t be wearing, though: Lawrence Taylor’s old No. 56. The Giants legend has reportedly denied Carter the chance to wear the number.

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Here’s more on why Taylor said Carter will have to find a number other than No. 56, plus other retired numbers Carter won’t be able to wear.

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Lawrence Taylor denies Abdul Carter chance to wear No. 56 for Giants

Naturally, Carter wants to live up to the shoes of an all-time Giants great in Taylor. He called Taylor the greatest football player of all-time before the draft.

When he officially became a Giant, Carter told another former Penn State defender, Micah Parsons, that “56 sounds real good” for his new number, which was Taylor’s former number with New York.

When asked about that idea in a press conference, Carter then praised Taylor even more.

“I haven’t met him yet, eventually I will,” Carter said. “He’s the greatest football player of all-time and somebody I look up to. I want to chase greatness” 

Unfortunately for Carter, his No. 56 dreams won’t become a reality. The number has already been retired by the Giants for Taylor’s Hall-of-Fame level contributions to the franchise, meaning Carter would likely have to get permission from the legendary defender himself.

According to the New York Post, Taylor denied Carter that opportunity as of Friday night.

“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.”

Carter then tweeted in response, writing “The worst thing he could say was NO!!”

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Giants retired numbers

Taylor’s No. 56 isn’t the only number unavailable to Carter. The Giants have a total of 12 retired numbers as of 2025, per Big Blue Interactive. Here they are:

Number Player
4 Tuffy Leemans
7 Mel Hein
10 Eli Manning
11 Phil Simms
14 Ward Cuff, Y.A. Tittle
16 Frank Gifford
32 Al Blozis
40 Joe Morrison
42 Charlie Conerly
50 Ken Strong
56 Lawrence Taylor
92 Michael Strahan

What number will Abdul Carter wear for the Giants?

With No. 56 out of the picture, as well as Carter’s No. 11 from his Penn State days, he’ll have to pick a new number.

He wore No. 23 in high school, per MaxPreps. If he can get permission from the Giants’ current No. 23, Anthony Johnson Jr., that could be an option. Another, as Taylor said, could be double zeros, which would somewhat go with the “Stix” persona he adopted at Penn State as No. 11.

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