In Week 17, the New York Giants walked out with a loud 34-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, which, for Giants fans, was only win number three. However, for rookie Abdul Carter, it’s an opportunity to make a bold demand for hardware. After all, the performance of rookie provided a glimpse of a promising future, and hence he wants to be rewarded for it.

After the game, Carter went straight to X, strongly requesting the voters to choose him, “good dub, I need dat roty. see yall next week!!”

Carter shared his poster, backed up with his plea for the Rookie of the Year award. And what could be a better time than this, when he put together a strong on-field performance on Sunday?

In Week 17, Carter posted three tackles and added half a sack. That pushed his season line to four sacks. It also includes two forced fumbles and 43 total tackles across 16 games. Those are not empty stats. Instead, they are timely plays. Because of that, his name belongs in the Defensive Rookie of the Year talk heading into the final week.

The former Penn State Nittany Lions star joined the MetLife Stadium team as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Since then, he has played like it.

Back in mid-November, NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice ranked Carter No. 2 on his Defensive Rookie of the Year list. Only Browns defender Carson Schwesinger sat above him. Filice highlighted Carter’s burst, power, and feel for big moments.

“The truth is that he has been disruptive as a pass rusher, easily leading all rookies with 35 QB pressures, per NGS,” Filice wrote.

Now, the case is stronger. Carter logged a sack in three straight games before Week 17. Plus, he wrecked the Commanders in Week 15 with two forced fumbles. Finally, Big Blue closes the year against America’s Team. A rough season ends in the Big D. Still, if Carter grabs ROTY, Big Blue Nation gets a real win to hold on to. However, there is a recurring off-field issue that Carter needs to address.

Abdul Carter’s off-field issue

This season, the Giants benched Abdul Carter twice, not for play, but for punctuality. Early in December, he missed a team meeting and watched the first quarter against the Patriots from the sideline. Before that, he lost early snaps versus the Packers after falling asleep during a team meeting.

Naturally, those moments raised real questions about his seriousness. Former head coach Brian Daboll did not let it slide. According to reports, he fined Carter more than once. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer laid it out clearly.

“The rookie pass rusher has had issues all year with being late and/or missing team obligations. Now fired coach Brian Daboll fined Carter for it on multiple occasions,” wrote Breer.

However, general manager Joe Schoen tried to ease the concern. He pointed to the grind of life of a 22-year-old adjusting to New York City.

However, after Daboll, interim coach Mike Kafka also tightened the grip.

“Interim coach Mike Kafka has been heavier-handed with it, with the most recent benching coming after Carter was also sat down for the start of the Giants’ Week 11 game against the Packers,” Breer also reported.

The talent is real; still, Carter must clean up the off-field lapses. Because while ROTY is within reach, trust matters just as much for the team.