Giants rookie Malik Nabers to wear long-retired No. 1 with Flaherty family's permission

Flaherty played on the Giants’ 1934 championship team, joining the Giants in 1928. Four years later, after landing with New York, he led the NFL in pass receptions with 21 catches for 350 yards. Flaherty went on to coach the Washington Redskins to championship titles in 1937 and 1942.

Flaherty died of natural causes in 1994 at age 89.

What it means for Nabers

Nabers became one of the Giants’ go-to targets throughout his first training camp and now he’ll get the No. 1 jersey to match his expected role. After the Giants failed to land a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, they shifted gears to getting Daniel Jones a top playmaker — the likes of which haven’t been seen in East Rutherford since the Odell Beckham Jr. days.

They went with the prized receiver out of LSU whose competitive makeup appealed to the coaches and the front office. The Giants draft and Nabers’ scouting process was documented in-depth on “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants.” Throughout camp, he’s proven he was worth the pick, bringing in acrobatic one-handed grabs and showing versatile use. He tallied the second-most completions (30) this camp during the 11-on-11 portions with Jones.

Asking the Flaherty family for permission to unretire the number and allowing Nabers to wear No. 1 cements how ownership feels about its newest prospect and his anticipated role in the franchise. The Giants are celebrating their 100th season this year so it’s a fitting new bit of trivia, too. — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer

Required reading

(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)