Jets standout DB quietly fighting for his future in critical 2025 season

Michael Carter II isn’t a name you hear often when discussing the New York Jets’ most important players, as is the nature of the underrated nickel cornerback position. But as the team enters a new era under head coach Aaron Glenn, the veteran defensive back finds himself at a quiet crossroads.

Carter is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season that saw him play sparingly through much of the year. Now healthy and paired with a new defensive coaching staff, Carter is eager to remind the Jets why they gave him a three-year, $30.75 million contract just last year.

Carter spoke to reporters last month about his 2024 struggles and how he finally feels healthy again entering the summer.

"I definitely wanted to make sure I did everything I could to do what I could for [my teammates]. It was one of those things that it didn't work out, but I'm in a lot better place now."

Michael Carter II

With no ties to the new regime and a potential out in his contract looming after the upcoming season, Carter may quietly be fighting for his long-term future in Florham Park.

Michael Carter II is fighting for his Jets future in 2025

Carter's 2024 season was a frustrating regression for someone who was previously one of the Jets’ most consistent defensive players. The former Duke standout battled through a lingering back injury that severely hindered his performance on the field.

He suffered the injury in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings and would leave the game after just one snap. Carter would miss the next two games before returning in Week 8, playing 55 percent of defensive snaps. That would be the last time all season he saw more than 40 percent of snaps in a game.

It soon became abundantly apparent that Carter was a shell of his former self. He played fewer than 20 percent of snaps in Weeks 14 and 15 and was inactive for two of the final three games.

Despite suiting up in Week 17, he was on the field for just five total snaps. The Jets rotated through other options at nickel, including Isaiah Oliver and Brandon Echols, as Carter struggled to stay on the field.

The decline was pretty clear. Carter’s 50.7 Pro Football Focus grade ranked 114th out of 122 qualified cornerbacks, a significant step back from his stellar 2023 season that saw him post an 80.4 grade, 12th best among 127 qualifiers.

That 2023 campaign established him as arguably the top nickel corner in the NFL and earned him a hefty new contract. Just one year later, that same deal could be in jeopardy.

The Jets structured Carter’s extension with a potential out after the 2025 season, and with a new regime in town, Carter’s long-term future is far from guaranteed.

The team already signed Brandon Stephens to a three-year, $36 million deal this offseason, while Sauce Gardner is expected to become the highest-paid cornerback in league history in the coming days or weeks.

Carter will have every opportunity to return healthy and prove he can still be one of the league's best nickel cornerbacks. That said, he’ll need to bounce back quickly and prove he can stay healthy and reclaim his spot as a defensive cornerstone moving forward.

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