Michael Carter
No. 22 – Arizona Cardinals
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1999-05-07) May 7, 1999 (age 24)
Okinawa, Japan
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:201 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Navarre
(Navarre, Florida)
College:North Carolina (2017–2020)
NFL draft:2021 / Round: 4 / Pick: 107
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Rushing yards:1,190
Rushing average:4.2
Rushing touchdowns:7
Receptions:84
Receiving yards:646
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Michael Carter (born May 7, 1999) is an American football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina.

Early years

Carter was born in Japan and grew up in Navarre, Florida, attending Navarre High School.[1] He rushed for 526 yards and nine touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury during the third game of his junior year.[2] As a senior, Carter rushed for 2,536 yards and accumulated 3,345 all-purpose yards and 45 total touchdowns and was named the Florida Offensive Player of the Year by USA Today.[3] Carter committed to play college football at North Carolina over offers from Florida, Louisville, Mississippi State and Tennessee.[4]

College career

Carter rushed for 559 yards on 97 carries and eight touchdowns in his true freshman season.[5][6] As a sophomore, Carter rushed 84 times for 597 yards and two touchdowns and caught 25 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown.[7] During his junior season, he rushed for 1,003 yards and three touchdowns and had 21 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns and was named third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[8][9]

Carter was named to the Doak Walker Award and Paul Hornung Award watchlists going into his senior season.[10] Carter was named the ACC Running Back of the week after rushing for 214 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia Tech on October 10, 2020.[11] Against Miami, Carter and fellow North Carolina running back Javonte Williams ran for a combined 544 rushing yards, the most by two running backs in college football history. Carter led the team in rushing in that game with 308 yards, along with two touchdowns.[12] On December 21, 2020, Carter announced he would opt out of the Orange Bowl matchup with Texas A&M, in order to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft, finishing his 2020 season with 1,245 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns to go along with 267 receiving yards and two more scores. His 1,245 rushing yards are eighth-most in a single season for a Tar Heel running back. That same day, he and teammate Javonte Williams were named Pro Football Focus first-team All-American for the running back position.[13] Carter's 3,403 total rushing yards over his collegiate career are fourth best all-time for the school. He was also named a finalist for the 2020 Paul Hornung Award.[14]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 7+7⁄8 in
(1.72 m) 		201 lb
(91 kg) 		29+1⁄8 in
(0.74 m) 		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)		 4.50 s 1.63 s 2.60 s 3.98 s 6.87 s 34.0 in
(0.86 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		 16 reps
All values from Pro Day[15][16][17]

New York Jets

On May 1, 2021, Carter was selected by the New York Jets with 107th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.[18] Later that day, the Jets selected Michael Carter II with the 154th overall pick in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL draft from rival school Duke. He signed his four-year rookie contract with the Jets on June 4, 2021.[19]

Carter made his first career start in Week 3 of his rookie season in 2021. He scored his first career touchdown in Week 4 in a 27–24 win over the Tennessee Titans.[20] He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 11 and was placed on injured reserve on November 27, 2021.[21] He was activated on December 18.[22] He finished his rookie season with 147 carries for 639 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 36 receptions for 325 receiving yards.[23] He finished fourth among rookies in rushing yards in 2021.[24]

In Week 5 of the 2022 season, Carter had two rushing touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins in the 40–17 victory.[25] He finished the 2022 season with 114 carries for 402 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 41 receptions for 288 receiving yards in 16 games and ten starts.[26]

On November 14, 2023, Carter was released by the Jets.[27]

Arizona Cardinals

On November 15, 2023, Carter was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.[28]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2021 NYJ 14 11 147 639 4.3 55 4 36 325 9.0 23 0 1 1
2022 NYJ 16 10 114 402 3.5 25 3 41 288 7.0 37 0 2 1
2023 NYJ 9 0 8 38 4.8 9 0 15 68 4.5 10 0 0 0
ARI 6 0 22 149 6.8 21 0 9 33 3.7 8 1 0 0
Career 45 21 291 1,228 4.2 55 7 101 714 7.1 37 1 3 2

References

  1. ^ Wallace, Eric J. (September 2, 2017). "Navarre's Michael Carter steals spotlight in college football debut". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Golden, Devin (September 10, 2015). "Navarre RB Carter to miss rest of season". Northwest Florida Daily News. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Stringer, Seth (December 29, 2016). "Navarre's Michael Carter named USA Today Offense POY". Northwest Florida Daily News. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Navarre's Carter commits to UNC". USA Today. July 4, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Trendel, Avery (July 19, 2018). "UNC's Michael Carter Among Preseason Candidates for Doak Walker Award". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  6. ^ Barnes, Greg (August 14, 2018). "UNC RB Michael Carter Sidelined Due to Injury". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  7. ^ "'It's a new era.' UNC football's Michael Carter is healthy and ready to help lead". The News & Observer. August 7, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  8. ^ Hall, Gregory (September 27, 2020). "Michael Carter Elevating his Game". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  9. ^ Luck, Quierra (July 25, 2020). "UNC RB Michael Carter Announced on Paul Hornung Award Watch List". SI.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Trendel, Avery (July 18, 2020). "Javonte Williams and Michael Carter Each Selected to Doak Walker Award watchlist". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  11. ^ Martin, Ross (October 12, 2020). "UNC's Michael Carter Named ACC Running Back of the Week". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  12. ^ Adelson, Andrea (December 12, 2020). "North Carolina's Michael Carter, Javonte Williams set NCAA record with 544 yards rushing". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  13. ^ Treash, Anthony (December 21, 2020). "College Football 2020: PFF's All-American Team". Pro Football Focus. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  14. ^ "Louisville Sports Commission - Louisville Knows Sports » Four Offensive Players / Return Specialists Earn Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll". Louisville Sports Commission. December 23, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Michael Carter Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Hughes, Grant (March 31, 2021). "How Javonte Williams and Michael Carter Pro Day Numbers Stack Up". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  17. ^ "Michael Carter, North Carolina, RB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  18. ^ Lange, Randy (May 1, 2021). "4-for-4 in Round 4: Jets Go Offense Again with RB Michael Carter". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  19. ^ Robinson, Sam (June 4, 2021). "Jets Sign Fourth-Round RB Michael Carter". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  20. ^ Wong, Kristen (October 3, 2021). "NY Jets: Michael Carter scores first Jets TD in 9 quarters". The Jet Press. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  21. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 27, 2021). "Jets Place RB Michael Carter on IR; Elevate Four to Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  22. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (December 18, 2021). "Jets Activate RB Michael Carter, TE Tyler Kroft, DE Bryce Huff and OL Chuma Edoga Off Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "Michael Carter 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  24. ^ "Rookie Rushing Leaders In The NFL 2021". StatMuse. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  25. ^ "Miami Dolphins at New York Jets - October 9th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  26. ^ "Michael Carter 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  27. ^ "Jets Release RB Michael Carter". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  28. ^ Urban, Darren (November 15, 2023). "Cardinals Claim Michael Carter Off Waivers". AZCardinals.com.

External links

Arizona Cardinals roster
New York Jets 2021 NFL Draft selections
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