Marcus Spears reacts to ‘wildly inappropriate’ Lawrence Taylor request from Abdul Carter

A couple of weeks into his tenure with the New York Giants, Abdul Carter still does not have a number. The third overall pick is not completely settled in quite yet. Asking to wear the No. 11 he did at Penn State was turned down because the Giants retired it for Phil Simms.

Carter attempting to wear Simms’ number is not why most people are upset, though. Going after Lawrence Taylor’s No. 56 has caused some big-time reactions across the NFL world. One of them was ESPN’s Marcus Spears, who says the legacy of Taylor is far too great for Carter to follow in his footsteps.

“The nerve of him to ask for that number is wildly inappropriate,” Spears said Monday on NFL Live. “It is wildly inappropriate to wear Lawrence Taylor’s number as a defensive player for the New York Giants. Bro, you don’t want that kind of pressure, that’s No. 1. You will say you do but you don’t want that type of pressure.

“The other thing is this, man. There are certain jerseys and certain people in this league that we need to stay away from and let that be the last time we see that happen in that organization. Lawrence Taylor is one of — there is a 1% of the 1% in the NFL. And he is the 1% of the 1% in the NFL. Stay away from that number, brah. These kids these days.”

Taylor was a no-doubt Hall of Famer after an incredible career with the Giants. He finished with two Super Bowls and a laundry list of individual awards, including 10 Pro-Bowl appearances and being named to an NFL All-Pro team on eight occasions. The 1986 season saw him named MVP and Defensive Player of the Year after 20.5 sacks.

For reference, the last season Taylor played in the NFL with the Giants was 1993. Carter was not born for another decade-plus in 2004 in Philadelphia.

The search to find what number Carter will wear in New York will continue on. Everyone inside the Giants organization is hoping another franchise great is just getting started. Carter was widely considered the 2025 NFL Draft’s top pass rusher.

However, going after the number once worn by Taylor appears to have been too big of a request from the rookie. Spears clearly took exception with the idea and made sure his feelings on the topic were known.