You could say Duron Carter is returning to the CFL for the love of the game.
That’s because Carter signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Elks which has him scheduled to earn the base minimum salary of $65,000 and his hard money total checks in at $80,000 with $12,000 in housing and $3,000 for travel allowance. If he plays 51 percent of the defensive plays an extra $500 can be earned per game for a total of $9,000 over 18 weeks.
The most intriguing performance incentive Carter has available: six interceptions during the regular season pays him $5,000. In limited action as a cover man under Chris Jones, the six-foot-four, 205-pound athlete has two takeaways in passes from opposing quarterbacks, both of those were returned for majors. For each individual touchdown scored, he collects $250.
Due to the money incentives, Carter could be ultra aggressive looking to jump routes and pilfer the football. Stacking up interceptions would help boost his chances for being named a CFL all-star and perhaps have a shot to win the league’s Most Outstanding Player award, which would net him $3,000 and $5,000 respectively.
After being hired as the Elks general manager and head coach, Jones went to visit Carter in Florida and terms were agreed to in the Sunshine State. The paperwork was held on purpose until after free agency because Jones did not want potential signees to know the enigmatic Carter was joining him in Edmonton.
Following Carter’s debut on defence in the CFL in October 2017, Jones said: “If he fully devoted time at DB he could be as good as any DB in the league.”
That statement by Jones is about to be put to the test in the Alberta capital during the 2022 season.
