The Philadelphia Eagles went into the offseason really needing help with the salary cap, and they were happy to get some from their cornerback, Michael Carter II.
Carter reportedly took a pay cut, which earned the respect of the fan base, but no one knew by how much. Spotrac reported that Carter's new contract is a one-year, $2.765 million restructured deal. That helped the Eagles gain $8.5 million in salary cap space.
Last season, Carter was part of a trade the Eagles made with the New York Jets at the trade deadline. He ended up playing eight games for the Eagles and made 10 tackles in those contests, most of them on special teams.
Michael Carter helps the Eagles save over $8 million
Carter really helped the Eagles in a major way through the savings from his contract. That shows that he is committed to being on the team and helping them however he can.
His sacrifice might pay off, as a new report suggests Carter could be in line to replace Reed Blankenship in the secondary after he departed for the Houston Texans. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman mentioned after trading for Carter that he saw him as a safety.
There will be outside competition at safety coming in, but it's unknown whether that will be through free agency or the NFL Draft. Last season, the Eagles used the draft to bring in second-round pick Andrew Mukuba to compete and beat out Sydney Brown for the job.
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Carter has a chance to play a bigger role in this defense in 2026, but there might be some uneasiness with him since Eagles fans didn't get to see him play on defense much. The hope is that he could be a cheap, solid option at safety even if he ends up a backup.