Lawrence Taylor denies Abdul Carter permission to wear No. 56 with New York Giants

After going No. 3 overall to the New York Giants, Abdul Carter spoke about his desire to wear No. 56, if Lawrence Taylor gave him permission. The former Penn State star hopes to follow in Taylor’s footsteps in New York after going as the top edge rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, Taylor doesn’t sound like he’ll give Carter his number. While speaking with the New York Post, he encouraged Carter to chart his own path.

The Giants retired Taylor’s No. 56 jersey in 1994, and anyone who wants to wear it would need permission to do so. A similar situation played out in Tennessee, where Cam Ward got Warren Moon’s blessing to wear his No. 1. Carter, however, will have to decide on his own number.

“I know he would love to wear that number, but hey, I think it’s retired,” Taylor told Steve Serby. “Get another number, I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous.”

After Taylor’s comments to the Post made their way across social media, Carter responded. He said he considers Taylor to be the greatest to ever do it and said there was no ill will about the number. In fact, Carter added he’s going to use it as fuel.

“The worst thing he could say was NO!!” Carter wrote. “My stance don’t change, LT is the [GOAT] nothing but respect… This just gonna make me work even harder!! I love it.”

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Abdul Carter

Abdul Carter was a consensus top player in the 2025 NFL Draft, alongside Travis Hunter. As for how his skillset will translate to the next level, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein pointed out he might need to bulk up, but the explosiveness and body control will help the former Penn State star shine in the NFL.

“Carter has the urgency and athletic talent to bombard the stat sheet,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s always first out and first into contact after the snap but can dart into gaps or around blocks as a penetrator. He’s willing to scrap at the point of attack; additional time in the weight room might be in order for his move up in class.

“Carter rushes with a rabid, all-game intensity that’s hard for opponents to match. He explodes out of the blocks and can force tackles to abandon their technique to go catch him. He can bend and flatten at the top of the rush or hit a game-breaking spin counter inside. He’s good with his hands but needs to keep working in that area to prevent long punchers from knocking him off-course. Carter’s explosiveness, hunger and body control should have him on track to become a highly productive 3-4 rush linebacker with Pro Bowl talent.”