Phil Simms ‘outvoted by family,’ won’t let Abdul Carter wear No. 11

Abdul Carter is still searching for a jersey number to wear with the New York Giants.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft already had his overtures to wear Lawrence Taylor’s retired No. 56 jersey rebuffed by the Hall of Famer.

Another one of Carter’s top choice’s – the No. 11 jersey, retired in honor of two-time Super Bowl champion Phil Simms – is off the table as well.

Simms was originally open to letting Carter bring his jersey out of retirement, as he explained in an appearance on FanDuel TV.

‘I told some of my friends and people around me, ‘I’d let him have it in a second. Can you just help it a little and make it better?” Simms said. ‘I think it would be a lot of fun. It wouldn’t bother me.

Carter then responded to Simms’ clip and expressed an interest in wearing the No. 11 jersey, which he donned during his college days at Penn State.

‘It would be an HONOR,’ Carter wrote on social media.

But Carter’s hopes of wearing the No. 11 jersey were quickly quashed. Long-time New York Daily News writer Gary Myers reported Simms had told him he was ‘outvoted by his family’ in his consideration of allowing Carter to wear his number.

Simms had referenced in his appearance on FanDuel TV his family would have a say in his decision to potentially unretire the number. He hadn’t spoken to them about it before his appearance, though he noted his agent had said ‘don’t you dare give up that jersey number.’

Simms’ agent is getting his wish. As for Carter, he will go back to the drawing board, a process he joked about on social media before saying ‘it’s all love.’

‘Just wanna play football!’ Carter wrote.