Jets starter reveals it took months to feel healthy after troubling 2024 season

New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II doesn’t want to make excuses. He played through the pain and did everything he could to stay on the field in 2024. But the reality is that Carter just wasn't healthy last season.

A lingering back injury he suffered in a Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings followed him the rest of the season, limiting him to just 190 coverage snaps and tanking what had been a stellar career trajectory.

His 47.9 Pro Football Focus coverage grade was among the worst of any starting nickel corner in football. And even though he fought through it, it became abundantly clear he wasn't himself.

Now healthy, Carter is back, and maybe more importantly, he knows how much this year matters. He’s locked in as the Jets’ starting nickel corner once again, but with Sauce Gardner set to break the bank and Brandon Stephens already signed long-term, Carter’s future isn’t as secure as it once seemed.

The NY Jets need a healthy Michael Carter II in 2025

Speaking to reporters at mandatory minicamp last week, Carter admitted it took “about two months” after the season for his back to finally feel healthy. “I feel really good now,” he said.

That’s a promising update for a player whose 2024 tape was a far cry from what he showed the year before. Carter finished with a brutal 50.7 overall PFF grade last season, down nearly 30 points from his 80.4 mark in 2023.

As noted, his PFF coverage grade sank to 47.9, and despite playing less than half as many snaps, he still allowed nearly as many receiving yards (215) as he did the year prior (258). It was obvious something wasn’t right.

The good news is that Carter seems fully healthy and back to full strength after that back injury caused him to play fewer than 38% of defensive snaps in all but one game after Week 4 last season. While he was only inactive for four games, he was a relative non-factor for much of the year.

The Jets still view Carter as their starting nickel, even after signing Stephens and drafting Azareye’h Thomas in the third round. But there’s pressure. With Gardner’s massive extension looming and the team already paying Stephens top money, Carter needs a bounce-back season to solidify his long-term future in New York.

The Jets could theoretically move on from Carter as early as next offseason if he fails to bounce back this year. The team has an out in his contract that would cost under $5 million in dead cap.

Carter's 2024 season was a wash. His 2025 season might be a crossroads.

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