Simms’ family reportedly rejects the idea
New York Giants’ rookie Abdul Carter won’t get to wear Phil Simms’ retired No. 11.
Carter is now 0 for 2 in efforts to don retired jersey numbers. First, Lawrence Taylor rebuffed Carter’s effort to unretire the No. 56. Now, his hopes to wear the No. 11 that he also wore at Penn State have been dashed.
Simms had initially offered to let Carter wear No. 11. Per retired NFL columnist Gary Myers, however, Simms’ family rejected the idea.
Here is how Carter reacted to the news:
Damn at this point imma be out there with just my last name on my jersey, no number Jkjk, It’s all Love. Just wanna play Football!
— Abdul Carter (@1NCRDB1) May 3, 2025
Valentine’s View
I agree with Myers that this is “good news for Giants fans who believe in tradition” and that “Carter needs to create his legacy with his own number.” I also agree with Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media that the Giants opened this ridiculous Pandora’s Box last year when they unretired Pat Flaherty’s No. 1 jersey for Malik Nabers, with the permission of Flaherty’s family.
Retired jersey are “retired” jerseys. They were taken out of circulation because a player had a remarkable career with a franchise that means the number should always be associated with that person. They should not be worn again.