Kyle Brandt fires up as Abdul Carter chooses the jersey number he pushed for
Abdul Carter, the third overall pick from last month's draft, has settled for the No. 51 jersey in New York after twice being turned down for the retired jerseys of two Giants greats.
The organization announced on Friday that the star defensive end will start rookie minicamp wearing the No. 51 jersey. Although jersey numbers worn for training camps can still change, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Carter intends to stick with the number moving forward, as suggested by "Good Morning Football" host Kyle Brandt on Monday.
In Monday's episode, Brandt suggested Carter wear the No. 51 jersey to complete his goal of wearing a legendary number with the Giants. Brandt advised Carter to split the difference of Phil Simms' retired No. 11 and Lawrence Taylor's retired No. 56. He brought up a small board and displayed No. 51 on it.
"51 is available on the Giants' roster right now," Brandt said. "51 is not retired by the New York Giants, it's half of LT, it's half of Simms, it's a classic linebacker number. The Giants fans will respect it. It's an old-fashioned number, and that will resonate with them, and I think Carter will make it his own."
The host of the Good Morning Football show took full credit when it was revealed that Carter would take the No. 51 on Friday morning, even though Brandt probably didn't think it would happen when he made the suggestion.
Quoting his original post, Brandt posted on X on Friday:
"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Abdul Carter will wear No.51 for the Giants."
Additionally, the Giants have confirmed quarterback Jaxson Dart, another first-round pick, will wear No. 6. The former Ole Miss standout passer wore No. 2 in college, but cornerback Deonte Banks has since taken that number this offseason after relinquishing his original No. 3 to quarterback Russell Wilson.
Abdul Carter's request to take jersey No. 56 and No. 11 were rejected
Abdul Carter, a former Penn State defensive end, asked Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor whether he could wear No. 56, which has been retired by the Giants since 1994. Carter's request was not granted by Taylor, who advised the rookie to choose another number and then make it legendary.
"He has to be the player that he is. He can’t be another Lawrence Taylor," the legendary linebacker said. "Well, he may be better than a Lawrence Taylor. Who knows? But he has to make his mark. It’s up to him.”
Carter also asked to take legendary quarterback Phil Simms' retired number 11 jersey, which he wore at Penn State. The star defender's plea to wear Simms' retired number was nearly granted by the two-time Super Bowl winner, but his family reportedly decided against it.