The discourse around Abdul Carter’s number has returned.
He nearly has as many number changes as career sacks.
The Giants pass rusher shared on social media that he intends to change from the No. 51 he wore during his four-sack rookie season.
“New # coming soon,” Carter posted on X on Tuesday. “It’s been a time 51.”
The message was in response to a post from the Giants’ X account that included a picture of Carter with the caption: “51 days until we pick again,” referencing the NFL draft.
Carter’s number was a storyline last year before he ever played a snap for the Giants.
After being drafted by the Giants with the No. 3 overall pick, Carter wanted to wear the retired No. 56 jersey, which was last worn by Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.
But Taylor shot that idea down.
“I know he would love to wear that number, but hey, I think it’s retired,” Taylor told The Post’s Steve Serby at the time. “Get another number, I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous.”
Phil Simms subsequently said that he would let Carter wear his retired No. 11 jersey, the same number Carter wore in college at Penn State.
Carter responded that “it would be an honor,” but Simms later revealed that his family overruled him and wanted his No. 11 to stay retired by the Giants.
So, Carter eventually settled on No. 51.
“I feel like it’s going to have to grow on me a little bit, but it’s feeling good right now,” Carter said at the time about No. 51. “Pretty much what we had available. It was a good number.”
Not good enough, it seems.
Carter had an up-and-down rookie year that included him getting disciplined twice for violating team rules.
