T. J. Carter Bio
T. J. Carter (born September 15, 1998) is an American professional football defensive tackle currently playing for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League. He played college football at Kentucky and entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020, spending time with the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Rams before finding a longer-term home in spring professional football. Standing 6 ft 3 in and listed around 300 pounds, Carter has built his career on positional versatility along the defensive front.
Early Life and Background
T. J. Carter was born on September 15, 1998, in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in the metropolitan Atlanta area and attended Whitefield Academy, a private school where he played football throughout all four of his high school years. He started three of those seasons, lining up at both defensive end and offensive tackle and earning first-team All-South Region 6-A and first-team All-Cobb County recognition as a senior.
Rated as a two-star recruit coming out of high school, Carter drew college interest from a handful of programs. He ultimately announced his commitment to Kentucky over Wyoming, Samford, and Memphis, choosing to develop his game in the Southeastern Conference.
Path to Professional Football
Arriving at Kentucky in 2016, Carter quickly contributed as a true freshman, appearing in 11 games and recording 11 tackles. The following season he broke into the starting lineup, playing all 13 games and adding 18 tackles along with three sacks. He moved back into a rotational role as a junior, starting four games and posting 16 tackles, before reclaiming a starting job as a senior, when he started 12 games and finished with 26 tackles and two sacks.
Across his four years at Kentucky, Carter played in 50 games, made 28 starts, and recorded 71 tackles with six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. 247Sports later ranked him as the 55th-best player of the Mark Stoops era at Kentucky, a recognition that underscored his consistency even though he went unselected in the 2020 NFL draft.
T. J. Carter Career
Early Career (2020–2021)
After going unselected in the 2020 NFL draft, Carter signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent. He was released during the summer as the Cardinals trimmed their roster, ending a brief first stop in the league. Near the end of August 2020, he was picked up by the New Orleans Saints but was released on September 5 as part of the final roster cuts.
Carter returned to an NFL roster in April 2021 when he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He recorded one tackle in preseason action but was released on August 28, 2021, as part of the team’s roster cuts. Across those early stops, Carter logged two NFL games played by the 2023 season mark, learning the league’s daily demands while searching for a longer opportunity.
Michigan Panthers Breakthrough (2022–2023)
Looking for a more stable platform, Carter was selected in the 24th round of the 2022 USFL draft by the Michigan Panthers, becoming the first defensive tackle taken in that class. He appeared in nine of the Panthers’ ten games that season, missing only one contest, and posted 24 tackles along with 2.5 sacks. The production established him as a rotational anchor on the Panthers’ interior line.
When the USFL season wrapped up, Carter earned another NFL opportunity, signing with the New Orleans Saints on August 9, 2022, becoming the fourth Panther from that roster to land an NFL contract that summer. He was released six days later, then quickly claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams on August 16, 2022. Carter bounced between the Rams’ active roster and practice squad, and he made his official NFL debut in Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, playing six defensive snaps in the loss. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Rams in January 2023 before being waived on August 29, 2023, and returned to the Michigan Panthers on October 3, 2023.
Birmingham Stallions Era (2026–Present)
Carter is currently listed as an active member of the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League. After his release from the Arizona Cardinals in August 2024 and a subsequent return to the Michigan Panthers in September 2024, he continued to develop in the spring league. The Birmingham Stallions, one of the UFL’s flagship franchises, now serve as his platform, and his position on the roster is listed as defensive tackle wearing number 96.
Driving Style and Strengths
Carter’s game is built on positional flexibility, having played both defensive end and defensive tackle at the college and professional levels. He uses his 6 ft 3 in frame to hold the point of attack against the run, while showing enough quickness off the snap to push pockets as a pass rusher. Coaches have valued his practice-squad dependability, which has repeatedly earned him call-ups and futures deals around the league.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the most meaningful milestones of Carter’s career are his NFL debut with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 of the 2022 season and his selection as the first defensive tackle taken in the 2022 USFL draft. His 24-tackle, 2.5-sack rookie spring season with the Michigan Panthers marked his most productive statistical stretch to date, and his current spot on the Birmingham Stallions roster signals continued belief in his upside.
T. J. Carter Career Wins
Carter’s career has been shaped less by headline win totals and more by persistence across multiple leagues and rosters. He has contributed to regular-season efforts with the Michigan Panthers and has continued his professional path through repeated NFL opportunities and spring-league assignments.
Michigan Panthers Highlights
During his first stint with the Michigan Panthers in 2022, Carter appeared in nine games and produced 24 tackles with 2.5 sacks, becoming a fixture on the interior of their defensive line. His performance helped draw NFL attention again that same summer, when he signed with the New Orleans Saints before landing with the Rams. He later returned to the Panthers in October 2023 and again in September 2024, underscoring a long-term fit within the organization.
Other Performances
Beyond his Panthers tenure, Carter logged NFL regular-season appearances with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 and continued to feature on practice squads and offseason rosters for several clubs. His listed career NFL statistics show two games played through the 2023 mark, reflecting limited but real top-level exposure.
T. J. Carter Family
Family Background and Football Lineage
Public details about T. J. Carter’s parents and immediate family remain limited. What is documented is his Atlanta upbringing and his high school years at Whitefield Academy, where he became a multi-year starter and earned regional recognition before heading to Kentucky.
Personal Life
Carter is based in the United States and continues his professional football career in the spring-football landscape. Beyond his on-field work, he has maintained a public social media presence and remains connected to the Atlanta-area community where he first developed as a football player.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 season, Carter was listed with the Michigan Panthers after re-signing on September 17, 2024, following a brief return to the Arizona Cardinals. His role centered on being a steady interior presence and a veteran reference point along the Panthers’ defensive front, while still offering the positional flexibility that has defined his pro career.
Across the 2025 spring season, Carter continued to log snaps in the Panthers’ defensive tackle rotation, contributing against both the run and the pass. The familiarity he had built with the organization across multiple stints helped him settle into a defined role within the defensive game plan.
Looking ahead, Carter’s outlook is tied to ongoing transitions across the spring-football landscape. His current roster spot with the Birmingham Stallions under the UFL banner signals continued opportunity at the professional level and keeps open the door to further NFL call-ups whenever they arise.