Running back Michael Carter was signed from the practice squad to the active roster by the Arizona Cardinals the final week of the 2024 season. They quietly made sure he did not become a free agent after the season.
When they signed him to the active roster, they gave him a two-year deal, meaning he is signed through 2025.
Such a move is common for players who have less than three seasons in the NFL because teams retain exclusive rights to players with less than three credited seasons anyway.
But Carter already had three credited seasons.
Because he spent nearly the entire season on the practice squad and was on the Cardinals’ active roster only two games in 2024, he did not earn a credited year for free agency. So had he been signed for simply the remainder of the season, he would have been a restricted free agent in March with the beginning of the new league year and eligible for a qualifying tender.
Instead of that, he agreed to a contract that extended through the 2025 season. According to Over the Cap, he was given a $100,000 signing bonus and can earn a $50,000 workout bonus this offseason. He will make the league minimum $1.17 million in salary in 2025 if he makes the final roster. He earned three game checks ($58,611 each) and then got $100,000 to sign, after earning practice squad money for 15 weeks.
Carter played the final three games of the season, twice as a practice squad elevation and the final game after having signed his contract.
He rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on 3.7 yards per attempt and caught 11 passes for 57 yards.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon spoke highly of Carter in the role that he had all season, a capable NFL running back who didn’t get any game action until late December.
“He’s got really good character and he is a team-first guy,” Gannon said of Carter. “I know every day that you go through, I’m sure you don’t like certain things, but it’s kind of how you respond to it. That’s a guy who loves to play football. His role being where he was at this year, I thought he took it in stride and he maximized his role. I’m grateful we have him. He’s a really good teammate. He’s a competitor, so if he can put the helmet on, he wants to put the helmet on.”
So we can expect Carter being at offseason workouts and can count on watching him in training camp and the preseason in the summer.
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