Getty A group of Dallas Cowboys defenders making a play against a member of the New York Jets offense.
If the New York Jets land star free agent Dalvin Cook that could kick someone else out of the running back room.
Evan Reier of Heavy.com proposed a trade on Saturday, July 8 between the Dallas Cowboys and Gang Green for youngster Michael Carter.
“If the Jets sign Cook and the Cowboys are truly looking for another RB, Dallas should absolutely look for a deal for Carter. The former North Carolina Tar Heel burst onto the scene in 2021 and has cooled down since, but he is still just 24 years old and with serious potential,” Reier said.
Reier said there’s a chance that Carter could be outright released this offseason by the Jets, but suggested America’s Team throws a “day 3 pick” and “ensure they land him in a trade.”
Michael Carter Is Trending in the Wrong Direction for Jets
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said the Jets have been “gaining momentum” in the Cook free-agent sweepstakes.
SWEET LORD HAVE MERCY: @ProFootballTalk said the #Jets have been ‘gaining momentum’ on the Dalvin Cook (@dalvincook) front heading towards training camp, ‘the Jets are a team that I was aware of as a potential destination for Cook weeks before he was actually cut’ + another…
A Cook addition would mean the Jets have six running backs on the roster ahead of training camp:
- Breece Hall
- Zonovan Knight
- Michael Carter
- Israel Abanikanda
- Travis Dye
At a minimum Gang Green would have to cut or move on from one running back and maybe even multiple.
Carter is 24 years of age and still has two years remaining on his $4.2 million rookie contract.
The former No. 107 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft showed a lot of promise during his rookie campaign.
He totaled 964 yards from scrimmage, scored four total touchdowns, and averaged 4.3 rushing yards per clip.
Last season the youngster had a case of the sophomore slump.
MC1’s yards per carry average dropped to a woeful 3.5 per clip, he fumbled twice, and quite frankly struggled to step up to the plate after Hall suffered a torn ACL.
Did Carter just stink or was he a byproduct of a severely damaged and underperforming offensive line? It’s tough to say.
Carter Speaks out in Viral Jets Interview
The former North Carolina product was blunt when speaking with Jets team reporter Ethan Greenberg this offseason.
“I know what I want, I want a ring,” Carter told Greenberg. “I feel like we have the team to do it. I know we have the team to do it. It’s just a matter of can we put it together when it counts. As much as we want to say every game matters, we gotta win late.”
#Jets RB Michael Carter (@8kMike) told @EGreenbergJets he knows what he wants, ‘a ring’ 💍👀 ‘I know we have the team to do it’ + ‘year 3 is when teams typically put it together’ 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight
That isn’t something the Jets did last season. After an impressive 7-4 start, Gang Green collapsed like a used lawn chair losing six in a row and finishing 7-10 on the year.
“Year [No.] three is typically when teams put it together, from my experience watching and being in the league,” Carter explained.
Interesting comment: #Jets RB Michael Carter (@8kMike) told @EGreenbergJets that Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) has helped create an ‘open dialogue’ during meetings + he said most meetings are lectures but it’s never like that w/ Aaron & OC Nathaniel Hackett 🎥 @nyjets
One of the popular criticisms of why the Jets suffered that losing streak is due to the quarterback position. Simply put it wasn’t good enough and Gang Green finished near the bottom of the league in most of the major passing categories.
The Jets did their best effort to fix that this offseason by trading for four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers in a blockbuster deal with the Green Bay Packers.
One thing Carter has noticed inside the building is the “open dialogue” that has been created by Rodgers’ presence. Team meetings used to be “lectures” according to Carter, but now they’re “more of a meeting than a lecture which is great.”