The New York Jets and cornerback Michael Carter II agreed Tuesday night on a three-year contract extension, according to a person familiar with the deal.
Carter is regarded as arguably the top nickel back in the NFL, forming a terrific trio of cornerbacks for the Jets with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Jets hadn’t announced the deal. NFL Network first reported the extension, saying it’s worth $30.75 million and can reach up to $33 million with more than $19 million in guarantees — making Carter the highest-paid slot cornerback in the league.
The 25-year-old Carter was a fifth-round pick out of Duke in 2021 and quickly established himself as a consistently productive nickel back and an important contributor for coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
“He’s kind of a quiet assassin,” Saleh said during training camp. “He’s so reliable. He’s out there, he doesn’t get as much fanfare, but he’s as reliable as any nickel there is in football. Teammates love him, works his tail off, and he’s another guy that we can do a lot with. And because of that, it adds a little bit of a dimension to our defense that many others can’t have.”
Carter recently returned from an ankle injury that sidelined him a few weeks during the summer, but he’s expected to be fully healthy in time for the Jets’ season opener against San Francisco next Monday night.
The coaching staff challenged Carter during the offseason to be even more of a vocal leader this year for New York.
“He’s one of the most highly regarded, loved, respected players on our defense, on our team for that matter, just because of the way he carries himself,” Ulbrich said recently. “He’s never going to be the big rah-rah guy in front of the group, and he doesn’t need to be. He’s a guy that’s behind the scenes getting guys better.”
In three seasons, Carter has 183 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 15 quarterback pressures, 23 passes defensed, two interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
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