Phil Simms offers No. 11 to Giants rookie Abdul Carter, challenges him to retire it again

The former Giants quarterback has offered up his retired No. 11 to Abdul Carter, challenging the rookie to be so successful that the team must retire it a second time.

In the days following Abdul Carter’s drafting to the New York Giants, the rookie reached out to franchise legend Lawrence Taylor to ask for his blessing to wear his retired No. 56. In response, Taylor denied the request but told Carter to “be the player that he is” and essentially blaze his own trail in the NFL.

This week, another Giants legend in former quarterback Phil Simms took the opposite approach as he went ahead and offered up his No. 11 to be unretired if the rookie decided to retain the same number he wore while starring for Penn State.

Per Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, Carter wrote on social media Friday morning that it would be an honor to wear Simms’ No. 11. Simms posted a video on his own social media platform earlier this week that he would take no issue with either Carter or new Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart wearing his old number.

“I had some fun with it, and the fact that he said it’d be honor to wear, that’s just him being really nice,” Simms told NorthJersey.com. “Man, it’ll make me re-live my days of being an outside linebacker in high school. Truly, I can’t wait to see him practice. I was hoping the Giants would get him. He’s gonna fit in right away with the Giants culture.”

When asked about the idea of Carter saying yes to wearing No. 11, Simms said he’d think it’d be “pretty cool” to watch the pass rusher in action.

“And what I’d tell him: I’d say he has to do well enough to get the jersey retired again. And I expect him to play that well, I think he’s that good.”

While Simms obviously has no issue with his jersey number being unretired, he’s aware that there will be those who take exception to it, including his family and long-time Giants fans.

“I’m anxious to see or hear my children’s thought about this. What I’ve learned in my life – well, even when I played to a degree, they were big fans – is that they have an opinion on everything about me. So, I’ll hear it from them, and it’ll be yes or no. And if they say no, it’ll really be like, ‘No way!’”

Prior to the 2024 season, the Giants were given permission to unretire Ray Flaherty’s No. 1 so rookie wideout Malik Nabers could don the same number he wore at LSU. That worked well in the end as Nabers enjoyed one of the best seasons for a first-year wideout, posting 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdown.

In the end, it’ll be up to Giants ownership whether or not Carter will get the chance to wear the No. 11. For all of you Giants fans out there, is this something you’d like to see happen? Would you be okay with Carter wearing Phil Simms’ number, or would you prefer — as LT put it — that he blaze his own trail with his own number?