The 2025 NFL season has been a challenging one for the New York Giants, with the storied franchise winning only two of the 11 games played thus far. In addition to the team’s on-field struggles, the Giants‘ brass decided to part ways with head coach Brian Daboll, which makes the future uncertain beyond this season.
Although moving on from Daboll might’ve been a good move, as the coaching job in New York will be as attractive as any other in the league, considering the team’s young talent, the franchise still has to get through this season, with some added drama due to rookie linebacker Abdul Carter‘s recent benching by interim head coach Mike Kafka.
Mika Kafka Reveals Expectations for Abdul Carter After Benching
Getty Interim head coach Mike Kafka of the New York Giants.
Apparently, Carter was asleep during the team’s walkthrough ahead of the matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Week 11, which didn’t sit well with Kafka, who benched him for the first series.
On Wednesday, Kafka was asked about Carter and what he wants to see from the rookie moving forward, via Giants Videos.
“I’d say the first thing is, Abdul, he’s got my full support,” Kafka said. “We’re all here for him. Our coaches, the players, the leadership group. It’s not really necessarily about Abdul, but about everybody in our unit and in our team. They’ve got our support, and we’re here and we’ve got their backs.
“I’d expect him to approach it like he does every day. He practices his tail off, he plays his tail off. He’s continuing to learn and grow as a young player and I’m proud of him for how he’s handled these things. It hasn’t been an easy couple days but I’m proud of him and I think he’s earned a lot of respect in the locker room. He’ll continue to grow and be a great teammate and learn from the things that he’s done.”
Clearly, Carter has been put on notice that his actions were unacceptable, but Kafka appears to be fairly supportive that the linebacker will bounce back.
Giants Rookie LB Abdul Carter Reacts to Benching
GettyAbdul Carter #51 of the New York Giants.
With Carter being a rookie and bound to make mistakes in his first season with the Giants, the 22-year-old gets a pass this time around, which Kafka made abundantly clear.
The Penn State product spoke to the media on Wednesday and addressed the benching. He was also asked whether he talked to his teammates about the missed walkthrough, which led to him being sidelined to start the game against the Packers in Week 11, via Giants Videos.
“For sure,” Carter said. “[I told them] I got to to do my job and be where I’m supposed to be at.”
With the 2025 campaign being a lost season, motivation can be hard to come by, but that’s no excuse for a rookie looking to prove his worth on the NFL level.
It’ll be interesting to see if Carter can bounce back from this incident and show the coaching staff that he’s all in moving forward.
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