During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan dropped some news.
The Giants will be retiring his No. 92.
"Yeah, they are," Strahan said when Fallon said he heard the rumor.
.@michaelstrahan celebrates Eli Manning's retirement and then reveals the @Giants are retiring his jersey #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/IIMqhbGyNr
- Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) January 28, 2020
This news shouldn't really come as a shock, with Strahan being one of the best players to ever wear a Giants jersey. Still, he admits it's going to be an emotional day.
And he has already handed out one thank you, as he addressed Fallon's band The Roots, who are from Philadelphia...
"It's going to be really emotional and I want to thank The Roots 'cause I know you Eagles fans wrote in and asked them to retire my jersey 'cause you didn't want to see it terrorizing your team no more!" he said jokingly
Strahan's number isn't the only one to be retired, as Giants co-owner John Mara announced Eli Manning's No. 10 will also never be worn again during the quarterback's retirement ceremony last Friday. Strahan spoke on Manning as well, saying he believes all of his accomplishments should see a gold jacket come his way, too.
"He's a great guy and I think he deserves everything that's coming his way: his jersey being retired, hopefully induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, two Super Bowls, two Super Bowl MVPs," Strahan said. "The guy is a great friend, man, and I'm happy for Eli to retire the way he wanted to."
Strahan was selected in the second round (40th overall) by the Giants in the 1993 NFL Draft, and that's where would stay over his 15 years in the league. One of the most feared linemen in the history of the game, Strahan was consistently a brutal force to deal with despite teams knowing exactly where he was coming from off the edge.
In 216 career games, Strahan racked up 141.5 sacks, 854 combined tackles, 24 forced fumbles and 131 tackles for loss. His best season came in 2001 where he was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year following a 22.5-sack season with six forced fumbles and 24 tackles for loss. And, of course, he would close his legendary career with a Super Bowl XLII victory over the Patriots.
Strahan and Manning will be the 12th and 13th different numbers to be retired by the Giants. Ward Cuff and Y.A. Tittle share No. 14, while Ray Flaherty (1), Tuffy Leemans (4), Mel Hein (7), Phil Simms (11), Frank Gifford (16), Al Blozis (32), Joe Morrison (40), Charlie Conerly (42), Ken Strong (50), and Lawrence Taylor (56) make out the rest of the list.
When both of these numbers will be retired is still unknown, but it is about time the Giants honored one of the best to ever do it in New York.