Two Former Gators Sign NFL Contracts

Defensive lineman Zach Carter has re-signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, while offensive lineman Fred Johnson has signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson (74) against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A pair of former Florida Gators football players have signed new contracts in the NFL.

Defensive lineman Zach Carter on Tuesday announced that he had re-signed with the Las Vegas Raiders after his contract expired. Details of his new deal are not immediately available.

Carter joined the organization after signing as a practice squad player on Oct. 10. The Raiders elevated him to the active roster 11 days later. In eight appearances with Las Vegas, Carter recorded 13 tackles and one sack.

He began his career after being drafted by the Cincinatti Bengals in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Carter played in 45 career games with 16 starts and totaled 68 tackles (28 solo), two sacks, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble and three passes defensed.

Meanwhile, offensive lineman Fred Johnson will be signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars to a one-year deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Johnson left the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent after three years with the franchise including last-year's Super Bowl victory.

He originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 before being waived the following October. Johnson then spent the rest of the 2019 season and all of 2020 and 2021 with the Bengals.

After being released by Cincinnati before the 2022 season, Johnson spent most of the year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being waived and eventually signing with the Eagles. He spent three years in Philadelphia with stints on both the practice squad and active roster as a depth piece at tackle.

Gators in the NFL: Other Offseason Moves

Carter's and Johnson's individual signings are the latest in multiple moves by former Gators currently in the league.

Recently, the Buffalo Bills traded former first-round pick and former UF corner Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys, uniting him with former Florida quarterback-turned Cowboys' head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Additionally, former UF quarterback Kyle Trask, the Gators' most-recent Heisman Trophy finalist and the program's all-time leader for passing touchdowns in a season, re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be Baker Mayfield's backup.

Trask inked a one-year deal worth $2.787 million, according to Ian Rappaport, which makes Trask just the second quarterback drafted by Tampa Bay, and fourth overall, in the Buccaneers' history to sign a second contract with the franchise.

Johnson is also the second former Gator to depart from Philadelphia after defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans.

Rounding out the group are defensive tackle TJ Slaton and corner Marco Wilson, who both signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Slaton signed a two-year, $15.1 million deal after his rookie contract with the Green Bay Packers expired, while Wilson re-signed with the franchise to a one-year, $1.52 million deal, according to Schefter.

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