No. 91 and the New York Giants Player That Wore It Best

The countdown to the start of the New York Giants’ 2025 season is underway, as we’re now 91 days away from the opening kickoff against the Washington Commanders. To count down the days until then, we look at the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Giants.

Who Wore #91 in at Least One Regular Season Game*

LB Charlie Burgess (1987), DE Coleman Rudolph (1994-96), MLB Ryan Phillips (1997-2000), DE Lorenzo Bromell (2004), DE Justin Tuck (2005-13), DE Robert Ayers (2014-15), MLB Kelvin Sheppard (2016), DE Avery Moss (2017), DT John Jenkins (2018), DL Jabaal Sheard (2020), DE Raymond Johnson (2021), DT Vernon Butler (2022), DT A’Shawn Robinson (2023), DT Casey Rogers (2024), DT Darius Alexander (2025-present)

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference.

Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

It didn’t take long to peruse through the short list of Giants players to wear the No. 91 jersey and quickly decide that it was none other than the legendary defensive end Justin Tuck.

A third-round pick back in 2005 out of Notre Dame, Tuck spent eight of his 10 NFL seasons with the Giants, including being a member of their two Super Bowl runs in 2007 and 2011 and a two-time Pro Bowler (2008, 2010) with the organization. 

Tuck was a constant presence and a true leader within the Giants' defensive huddle during the era of their two infamous championship runs.

He never missed more than three games in a season, except for the 2006 campaign, when he suffered a Lisfranc injury in a late October Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys, limiting his year to just six games and having a minimal on-field impact. 

When Tuck entered the draft, he wasn’t the most significant prospect in his position group, and that may have been a factor in his drop into the second day of selections.

Still, he was often praised for his good strength and agile quickness off the snap that enabled him to set leverage and bulldoze over the opposing blocker to disrupt the pass play. 

Tuck was once quoted as a young defensive end that same year, “Every defensive end who is going to be picked in the first round is going to be a good pick for whoever they're chosen by, but if I had to tell you what sets me apart, that would be my desire and determination to get better. I know what I need to work on, I know my weaknesses, but I have that work ethic to improve every day.”

Tuck surely improved with each passing season in New York, and some of his best stat lines came during those seasons when the Giants made their unfathomable runs to the Lombardi Trophy.

His first double-digit sack effort came in 2007, as he racked up 10 sacks to go along with 65 tackles, two forced fumbles, eight stops, and two pass deflections. 

Tuck would beat those numbers the following year, posting 67 tackles with a career-high 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one interception, which he returned to the house for his first and only NFL defensive touchdown.

He would surpass 11 sacks two more times in 2010 and 2013, his final season with the franchise, where he finished with a 67.8 pass-rush grade and an overall grade of 78.6, which was the fourth-best among his professional career.

The only unfortunate aspect of Tuck’s legacy with the Giants organization was that it ended on a sour note, as the two sides couldn’t agree on a deal to retain him for a couple more seasons in 2014.

Tuck called the Giants' offer “disrespectful” after the impressive resume he put forth, which included 43 tackles, five sacks, and four total forced turnovers in 15 games. 

Therefore, Tuck departed for a two-year pact with the then-Oakland Raiders, where he would appear in 21 contests to wrap up his NFL career.

Things seem to be much more amicable with his first team, though, as Tuck signed a one-day contract in 2016 to retire as a Giant. He was soon inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor and ranked #30 on the Top 100 Players list last season.

Who’s Wearing It Now?