Former Georgia standout Lorenzo Carter to ink new deal with Falcons
One of the guys who helped get the Georgia train rolling under Kirby Smart is about to get paid again. According to Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network, outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter is set to sign a two-year deal to remain with the Atlanta Falcons.
“(Falcons) free agent pass-rusher Carter is headed back into the building today in Atlanta, set to sign a two-year deal, sources say. Off the free agent board, Atlanta keeps one of their productive young players.”
Carter, a Norcross High School standout, spent the 2022 season in Atlanta where he had 58 total tackles, four sacks, seven tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, and an interception that he returned 28 yards for a touchdown. He played in all 17 games with 17 starts.
Prior to his time in Atlanta, Carter spent four years with the New York Giants — the team that took him No. 66 overall (Third Round) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He appeared in 49 games for the Giants with 33 starts, piling up 14.5 sacks. He also had 21 tackles for loss in New York with 35 total hits on the quarterback, three forced fumbles, and 15 passes defended.
When Carter came back…
Georgia signed Carter in the 2014 class. He was rated as a five-star prospect and projected as one of the top pass rushers in the country for that cycle. The On3 Idustry Ranking has him retroactively ranked as the No. 17 overall prospect, No. 2 EDGE, and No. 2 player in Georgia for that class.
His career got off to a fairly quick start as a freshman but he tapered off as a sophomore and junior. Still, the measurables were there and he considered making an early leap to the NFL after the 2016 season, Smart’s first as head coach.
But Carter, along with fellow outside linebacker Davin Bellamy and running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, decided to stick around. That quartet plus Roquan Smith led the Bulldogs to a 13-2 record the following season with an SEC Championship and a win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. The Bulldogs fell just short to Alabama in the National Championship game.
