Before the start of the 2024 season, the Jets rewarded cornerback Michael Carter II with a three-year, $30.75 million contract extension.
But a back injury early last season limited Carter to a career-low in tackles (24) and games (13) played.
This was after he suffered a high ankle sprain that lingered in the regular season after forcing Carter to miss a bulk of training camp last summer.
“It was super tough,” Carter told reporters during mandatory minicamp in June. “I think for one, more mentally than physically, like everything physically was going on, everything like that.
“But mentally just trying to make sure I was kind of staying in it, staying in things, not being down and trying to prepare the best I could so I could help my teammates and at least try to make an effort to make it through a game and be out there for those guys because, you know, I want it so bad.”
During his four seasons in the league, Carter, 26, has been a dependable player in Gang Green’s secondary. In 2022, Carter finished with a career high in tackles (63) and interceptions (two). He followed that up the next year with a 50-tackle campaign, nine passes defended while allowing only one touchdown.
That’s a significant reason why the Jets signed him to the contract extension last September.
But in the Jets’ Week 5 loss to the Vikings last season, Carter suffered a back injury, which sidelined him for the following two games. He returned in Week 8 and attempted to fight through the ailment, but Carter did not resemble the same player he was in the previous three seasons. He was inactive in two of the Jets’ final three games.
It wasn’t until February that Carter’s back began to feel better, and doctors fully cleared him. In hopes of recovering, he received treatments on his back and rehabbed it three or four times a week.
Not only was it a frustrating season for Carter, dealing with his back injury, but both coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were fired amidst a 5-12 season.
“You know, we all knew it was at stake for everybody who was here last year,” Carter said. “I definitely wanted to make sure I did everything I could to kind of just do what I could for them. And ultimately, you know, things didn’t work out, but I’m in a lot better place now.”
Carter will look to have a rebound season under new coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. As a nickel corner, Carter could potentially be a chess piece in the Jets’ new defensive system. Additionally, former cornerbacks Chris Harris and Dre Bly are coaching the defensive backs and cornerbacks.
In addition to his coverage skills, Carter can rush the passer and is a decent tackler. It is expected that Wilks will blitz more than the previous Jets’ coaching staff, which primarily relied on their defensive line to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Wilks’ defenses at previous stops with the Panthers, Cardinals and 49ers played with an aggressive, physical style. Glenn also has a defensive background, and the Jets’ defense will likely be a blend of both his and Wilks’ styles.
With Glenn now in charge, he has been trying to change the Jets’ culture after they’ve failed to register a winning season since 2015. The Jets also haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, a fact that Carter and Glenn are both hoping to change.
“AG is super intense,” Carter said. “They want the best out of everybody on the team.
“It is just building that consistency and trying to be consistent day in and day out, and just being on our details, man, it’s a new system for everybody. I feel like we’ve, every day, taken strides to get better and better and and learning from our mistakes and not making those same mistakes twice.
“Ultimately, you know, we come back in training camp, I feel like we’ll be able to hit the ground right in because they prepared as well to be able to go away and still be locked in and the exact assignments and learn from those mistakes and come back and hit the ground running.”
