Rob Gronkowski rips Abdul Carter over 'crazy' Lawrence Taylor number request

Rob Gronkowski ripped New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter for his request to wear No. 56 despite it being retired. Lawrence Taylor, arguably the greatest defensive player in the history of football, denied Carter the honor.

Heck, Carter can’t even wear No. 11 which he wore at Penn State. Former quarterback Phil Simms wore the number and it’s retired as well. But the QB actually wouldn’t have minded it to be un-retired, so naturally his family out-voted him on the matter.

So, Carter has yet to get an actual assigned jersey number with the Giants. Two legendary numbers are out and the fact that he even asked for No. 56 drove Gronkowski nuts.

“Abdul Carter, was he serious asking for LT’s number,” Gronkowski said to Julian Edelamn on Dudes on Dudes. “Yeah you were a high draft pick, but LT is an absolute legend, the best to do it, one of the best defenders of all time. Like, you gotta prove yourself. That’s crazy just asking for LT’s number. I’m glad that LT shut him down like that.”

Here is Taylor’s response to Carter: “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.”

So naturally, Edelman loved that response. Now it’s on Carter to make his own jersey number famous for Giants fans everywhere/

“That was such an LT response: ‘go make your own freaking number, kid.’” Edelman said. “Can we read a room? And it’s not even the room, it’s the football galaxy. The fact that he even asked, that’s crazy. And people say, ‘Oh the 11 thing,’ but they give everyone 11 at Penn State, no one ever puts on the 56.”

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.”