5 NY Jets most affected by the Dalvin Cook signing

2. Michael Carter, RB, NY Jets

Michael Carter seemed to be poised for a bounce-back year after a sophomore season that included injuries, a demotion, and some putrid performances.

In addition to coming back to training camp healthy, Carter was also candid to reporters about his mindset last year when the team brought in James Robinson to take carries when he figured to be the bell cow back.

He talked about how he now has adopted a mindset where he is only focusing on bettering himself. It is fairly ironic that less than a week after these comments, the team has yet again added a running back, and this time it is the perennial Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook.

Carter will undoubtedly take a backseat, and as mentioned a few slides earlier, he might actually lose his job as a Jet due to this signing. Where Knight is just an undrafted player who's only played in a handful of games, Carter is a former fourth-round pick who looked like one of the league's bright young players in his rookie year two seasons ago.

Teams are almost certainly more interested in trading for someone with Carter's resume than someone with Knight's resume, and the Jets are more interested in gaining back capital in return for a player than just cutting a player for nothing.

Those two factors would leave us to believe Carter's days as a Jet are indeed numbered. He truly does seem to have the love and admiration of his teammates and coaches, and this current Jets regime puts such a strong emphasis on team culture that it's possible that they opt to keep Carter this year, especially since Cook is only under contract for one year.

In 2024, the Jets will need an RB2 again, and perhaps this regime believes Carter can be that guy. If not, he might've played his last game as a New York Jet.