When the New York Giants drafted Abdul Carter with the 47th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, speculation began almost immediately about whether the rookie linebacker would be allowed to wear No. 11 — the same jersey number once worn by franchise legend and two-time Super Bowl champion Phil Simms. Carter had worn the number at Penn State, and with Lawrence Taylor declining Carter’s request to wear No. 56, eyes shifted toward Simms.
Inside the Simms Family Debate That Kept Giants DE Abdul Carter From Wearing No. 11
But when the Giants announced Carter would don a different number, it quietly ended what had become a subtle point of curiosity for fans. That is, until Chris Simms — Phil’s son and a current NFL analyst — peeled back the curtain during a May 12 appearance on “Up & Adams,” revealing how the family felt about the situation behind closed doors.
“My dad is kinda old-school,” Simms began, painting a picture of humility despite his father’s decorated legacy. “He has no ego for a guy who won two Super Bowls and has been a Super Bowl MVP, where he doesn’t view himself as special in some ways. He loves the Giants, he really does. He loves the young guys that come on the team every year.”
That love, Simms emphasized, extended to Carter specifically. “He really loves Abdul Carter. When we watched film and he broke down Abdul Carter, he was like, ‘Oh my gosh, if the Giants could get Abdul Carter … holy cow, if he’s not the closest thing to Micah Parsons or Lawrence Taylor that I’ve ever seen, then I don’t know what is.’”
Chris Simms would have been okay with Abdul Carter wearing his dad's number… REALLY?!@heykayadams | @CSimmsQB pic.twitter.com/50pBA8KMTI
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow)
According to Simms, the family saw this request coming. “We knew that this could be a possibility,” he said. “We saw that Abdul Carter asked Lawrence Taylor. Lawrence Taylor declined. [Carter] wore 11 in college, and my dad kinda had a feeling that he might get asked. In his own mind, he had been kicking it around for 10 days or so.”
While Phil was open to the idea of Carter honoring him with the number, the final call wasn’t just his. “The Giants called him and said, ‘No matter what, good career or bad career by Abdul Carter, your number’s still there on the side of the stadium. 11’s yours always.’” But Chris also revealed a surprising wrinkle. “My sister, no. If you knew my family, my sister’s vote counts times five. She caused a ruckus, and so did my mom.”
Ultimately, the family leaned toward preservation — but not out of ego. “This is a guy that both dad and I looked at and went, ‘Hey, he’s got a chance to be great. He wants to wear your number. He wants to honor you,’” Simms said. “And every time he gets a sack, people will say, ‘There’s Abdul Carter donning the number Phil Simms used to wear.’ And I think my dad looked at that and thought that was cool, and I’m okay with that.”
In the end, Carter won’t be wearing No. 11, but the respect between eras is evident — and the Simms family made sure the personal decision was rooted in legacy, not pride.
