Lawrence Taylor on denying Abdul Carter No. 56: He has to be his own player

Lawrence Taylor won’t agree to unretire his No. 56 for Abdul Carter, and he explained why to the new Giants edge rusher in a Saturday morning phone call.

Taylor's agent, Mark Lepselter, arranged a phone call between Carter and Taylor with Carter's agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

"He has to be the player that he is," Taylor told Jordan Raanan of ESPN. "He can't be another Lawrence Taylor. Well, he may be better than a Lawrence Taylor, who knows. But he has to make his mark. It's up to him."

Taylor also made it clear he supports Carter and wants him to succeed.

"I'm hoping that he's not thinking that, 'Oh, I got shot down by LT,'" Taylor told Raanan. "No, it isn't like that, man. It's, 'Hey, I'm with you!' I mean, I'm the guy that it takes two. I'm going to be two steps behind you and make sure you don't fall."

Carter posted a picture of Taylor's photo on the wall at the Giants facility during his predraft visit, and he told Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons on Parsons' podcast that he hoped to wear No. 56. The No. 11 that Carter wore in college also is retired by the Giants in honor of Phil Simms.

Malik Nabers, the team's first-round pick in 2024, was allowed to wear the retired No. 1 after Ray Flaherty's family agreed.

Carter said Friday during his introductory news conference that he hadn't decided on a number.