Abdul Carter suggested recently that he wants to wear the same jersey number as one of the greatest players in New York Giants franchise history, and Rob Gronkowski cannot believe the rookie even went down that road.
After the Giants drafted Carter with the No. 3 overall pick, the Penn State alum was asked by fellow former Nittany Lions star Micah Parsons if Carter has an NFL jersey number in mind. No. 11, which was worn by both Carter and Parsons at Penn State, is retired by the Giants in honor of Phil Simms.
Carter said he feels he would look good in another one of the Giants’ retired jersey numbers, which is the No. 56 that was worn by Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Taylor responded by telling Carter to choose his own number and make it famous.
Gronkowski and Julian Edelman discussed the topic during the latest episode of their “Dudes on Dudes” podcast. Gronk sounded off on Carter.
“Was he serious asking for L.T.’s number? Yeah, you were a high draft pick, but L.T. is an absolute legend, the best to do it, one of the best defenders of all time,” Gronkowski said. “Let me tell you, brother — you gotta prove yourself. That’s crazy just asking for L.T.’s number. I’m glad that L.T. shut him down like that.”
You can hear the clip, but be aware that it contains cursing:
Holy Sh*t: Rob Gronkowski goes OFF on Abdul Carter for asking Lawrence Taylor to wear his retired No. 56 jersey number:
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 4, 2025
“Was he serious, asking for LT’s number? Yeah, you were a high draft pick, but LT is an absolute legend. The best to do it, one of the best defenders of all… pic.twitter.com/2ZKJ6CZYEK
Carter has every right to be confident in his abilities. Most people believe he is going to be a star in the NFL, but he probably made a mistake by openly suggesting he would look good in Taylor’s number. It would have been different had Taylor offered, and we saw a situation like that with the first overall pick in the draft this year.
Simms indicated that he would be open to allowing Carter to wear No. 11, but the former Giants quarterback was overruled by those around him. Carter had a funny reaction to that news.
If Carter is certain he is going to become the next great Giant, he should want to pave his own way wearing a jersey number that has not been retired. Gronkowki and Edelman were both shocked that Carter even suggested a franchise icon should make an exception for him.
