Giants’ Abdul Carter says, ‘I want to be the greatest of all time.’ And why not?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Abdul Carter has an ambitious goal he is not afraid to share. In fact, he has already shared it privately with his New York Giants teammates.

“I want to be the greatest of all time,” he told The Athletic.

The greatest Giant?

“I mean the greatest of all time,” Carter replied, “in terms of just a football player in general.”

He was standing tall inside the Giants’ practice facility, still sweating in practice gear that included full pads, a blue hoodie and a white jersey carrying his new number, 3. Carter spent his first NFL season wearing No. 51 after Lawrence Taylor rejected the rookie’s bid to unretire his iconic No. 56.

If LT wanted the kid to establish his own identity, guess what? Carter has every intention of doing just that.

“When (John) Harbaugh first got here, everybody had to go in front of the room and speak, and I told everybody that I want to be the greatest of all time,” Carter told The Athletic. “And I can’t just say that. I’ve got to come out here and work and prove it during games this season. I’ve got to be that player.”

As everybody’s All-American out of Penn State and the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Carter did not show that consistent level of commitment in Year 1, twice getting himself benched by interim coach Mike Kafka for missing team activities. But Harbaugh and others in the Giants organization have raved about Carter’s professionalism this time around — in the meeting room, in the locker room, on the practice field, you name it.

“Abdul is practicing at the highest level,” Harbaugh said. “His effort, intensity, skill set — he’s excelling every day. He looks great, and I can’t wait to see him play.”

It’s early in Year 2, very early, but the 6-foot-3, 252-pound linebacker was described by one team source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about Carter, as “a man on a mission.” Carter had already put his short-term mission on the record earlier in camp when he said, “I want to be Defensive Player of the Year.”

But at age 22, Carter also embraces the long-term possibilities for a pass rusher with his size, strength and speed. Though he managed only four sacks in 2025, Carter delivered a strong finish and led the league with 48 quick pressures (within 2.5 seconds of the snap), per Next Gen Stats.

“To be honest, everybody wants the sacks, so I’m not sitting here and saying I don’t care about them,” Carter said. “But sacks are a little bit overrated. Every time you rush, you’re not going to get a sack. It’s all about affecting the quarterback and affecting the guy who touches the ball every play. As long as I can keep doing that and nobody does it faster, I’ll keep that up and the sacks are going to come along with that.”

Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has said Carter is spending the summer “mastering the technique and fundamentals” of his craft in an attempt to become far more than an overpowering athlete on the edge. Carter agrees with this assessment. He said he now realizes he’ll become a better playmaker if he becomes a better craftsman.

But Carter’s natural instinct will likely remain his most lethal weapon. Giants radio analyst Carl Banks, a two-time Super Bowl champ from the Bill Parcells days, suggested as much with this quote-tweet of a video showing Carter shedding two blockers and tackling J.J. McCarthy in Saturday’s preseason loss to Minnesota:

“Not many can do what Carter does here and kids don’t try it and coaches don’t try to teach … He literally goes underneath 2 blocks and still makes a tackle for loss … This is the sh*t LT would do. Defied the laws of leverage.”

Not many can do what Carter does here and kids dont try ot and Coaches dont try to teach..
He literally goes underneath 2 blocks and still make a tackle for loss..

This is the sh*t LT would do. Defied the laws of leverage https://t.co/yJuEE0vVDC

— Carl Banks (@CarlBanksGIII) August 17, 2026

Banks isn’t one to compare anyone or anything to his old teammate, Taylor, but the last linebacker the Giants drafted as early as they drafted Carter (Banks was selected No. 3 in 1984) posted what he posted.

“Abdul does things naturally,” Banks said by phone. “He just does it. … If you asked him, ‘What did you do on that play?’ he probably couldn’t tell you. And that’s the stuff LT used to do. ‘I don’t know. I just made the play.’ … There are probably only three or four other guys who could’ve made that play.”

Banks criticized Carter on WFAN Radio last year after his second benching, saying, “It’s time for the kid to grow up.”

This year? “I think he figured it out,” Banks said.

Asked about the former linebacker’s praise on social media and the comparison to Taylor, Carter said, “I’ve actually got a lot of respect for Carl Banks, LT, Harry Carson, all those guys. I go back and watch the full games of when they played in the ’80s and early ’90s. I actually try to mimic some of the things they did, just the violence they played with, just the recklessness. So that’s a pretty big compliment and I appreciate that.”

Truth is, Harbaugh wants the Giants to look and play like the glory-days Giants. That connection seems obvious at the linebacker position, on the outside and inside with Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese, the fifth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Carter expects to emerge as the best member of that group. He feels a responsibility to emerge as the best player on the team.

“I absolutely feel that way, and I told (Jaxson) Dart the same thing,” Carter said. “In order for us to be who we want to be and add another banner in this place, we have to be the best players.”

Carter said Dart replied, “We’re on the same page.”

Of course, they weren’t even in the same library in May, after the linebacker blitzed his quarterback on social media for introducing President Donald Trump at a suburban New York rally. In his first news conference afterward, Carter was most impressive in how he stood on his principles without causing irreparable harm to a valued teammate and friend.

Now Carter needs Dart to play at a very high level, and Dart needs Carter to become the historic figure Carter hopes to be.

“There’s a reason that I asked for No. 56 when I did,” Carter said. “My whole thing is I just want to go out and show my teammates and show this city why I asked for that number.

“We’ve had some great, great players in this league, and I want my name mentioned when you say, ‘OK, who’s the greatest player of all time, especially on the defensive side of the ball?’ I want to be mentioned with LT, Bruce Smith, Aaron Donald, all those guys.”

If nothing else, Abdul Carter is not at all afraid of the Giant effort it will take to get there.