Former Florida defensive lineman Zachary Carter is officially a member of the NFL after signing his rookie contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals took Carter with the 95th overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft and both parties agreed to a maximum compensation deal, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Spotrac.com values the deal at $5,079,938 over four years, averaging 1,269,985 per year. Carter will also pick up an $874,500 signing bonus — the only guaranteed money in the deal.
Although Florida’s defense underperformed over the last two seasons, Carter was a major player on the Gators’ defensive line. He played both inside and on the edge and projects as a 4-3 defensive end in the League. He has a shot to break into the b rotation as a rookie behind starters Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson. Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai are the backups likely to compete most with Carter.
In four seasons with Florida, Carter totaled 107 tackles (39 solo), 28.5 tackles for a loss, 17.5 sacks, eight pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He was the leader up front on defense in 2022 and started the season off with a career-high three sacks against Florida Atlantic in the season opener.
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