The slot cornerback market saw significant movement this offseason. Both Taron Johnson and Kenny Moore moved the position’s bar past $10MM per year. That pertained to the Jets, who are moving to extend their inside corner.
Michael Carter will be the league’s third pure slot corner to cross the eight-figure-per-year barrier. The fourth-year CB agreed to terms on a three-year, $30.75MM deal Tuesday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Carter will see just more than $19MM guaranteed on this accord, which runs through the 2027 season.
Although the Jets broke up their Michael Carter pair by waiving the 2021 running back draftee late last season, they have been pleased with the other Michael Carter’s work. Lining up alongside Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, Carter has fared well in Robert Saleh‘s defense since being a 2021 fifth-round pick. The Jets now have he and Reed tied to veteran deals. While this equation might change once Gardner is extension-eligible (2025), today’s deal lays out a future in which the All-Pro and Carter play together beyond their rookie contracts.
Rumors about a Carter extension surfaced early this summer, and the Jets took care of business just before Week 1. Carter, 25, allowed a career-low 51.6% completion rate as the closest defender in 2023. Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics have assessed Carter as yielding QB ratings south of 76.0 in each of the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus also ranked Carter 12th among all corners in 2023. Carter intercepted two passes in 2022 and broke up nine in each of the past two seasons.
The Duke alum’s contract will overlap with at least one Gardner rookie-deal season, and the Jets could certainly aim to keep the standout boundary corner at the rookie rate in 2025 as well. Once the Jets pick up Gardner’s fifth-year option in 2025, he will be tied to the team through the 2026 season. We should expect to hear Gardner extension rumors next year, however, and the team will undoubtedly look to have a deal done by 2026 at the latest. Reed’s deal expires after this season; this Carter pact and the monster deal Gardner will seek stand to complicate the ex-Seahawk’s future in New York.
Moore re-signed with the Colts on a three-year, $30MM deal; Johnson inked his third Bills contract (three years, $30.75MM) soon after. Johnson and Carter are now the NFL’s highest-paid pure slots, with Pelissero adding this Jets contract can reach $33MM. This year has brought an important update to the slot corner market, which had been stagnant for a while leading up to the March accords.
Seems a bit much…
Given the similar players who make almost the exact same money, it’s hard to object much.
Probably spells the end of Reed after his contract expires
I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a way.
You gotta pay for talent. He’s the best slot corner in the game.
This DB is actually Michael Carter II. The “Michael Carter” link in the story is for the ex-Jet RB who was just released by Arizona.