When wide receiver DeAndre Carter suffered a knee injury in Week 4 of the 2025 season that placed him on the Reserve/Injured list while playing for the Cleveland Browns, he didn't think he'd have an opportunity to finish his NFL career on his own terms.
After rehabbing from the season-ending injury, Carter remained a free agent and was ready to get back on a roster. He worked out with the Houston Texans at the beginning of August, but didn't make it onto a practice squad until the Detroit Lions needed a returner on special teams.
Wide receiver Tom Kennedy sustained a season-ending knee injury during Detroit's Week 5 matchup with Arizona. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown filled in to finish out the game, but the Lions didn't want him in that role full-time.
On Oct. 19, Detroit signed Carter to their practice squad and just three days later, signed him to the active roster in time for their Week 7 game vs. Green Bay.
"It meant everything. I was at home, didn't get picked up all training camp, didn't get picked up the first part of the season and me being 33 years old and coming off a knee injury, you don't see people in that circumstance get signed a lot of times," Carter said.
"One of my goals from (the start of) my career was always to be able to end my career on my own terms, and it didn't feel like I was going to get a chance to do that. So, Detroit giving me a shot … to come here and compete and play competitive football games, play meaningful games, it just brought the fun back into football. I'm incredibly grateful for this organization giving me an opportunity."
Carter felt nothing but excitement for his first time back on the field in over a year, playing the game again for a team and coaching staff that showed an immense amount of trust in him to go out there after being in Detroit for less than a week.
It was the Lions' first NFC North contest of the season, playing a Packers team that was on a hot streak heading into the matchup.
"Feeling the energy from the crowd, feeling the energy from the team … we had the cold, black uniforms on," Carter said. "It was a great time, it was exciting for sure, exhilarating."
Carter had three returns in his Detroit debut. He had a 15-yard punt return and two kick returns for 52 yards. He nearly broke out multiple times for longer returns, and after the Lions' 20-17 victory at home, head coach Dan Campbell said Monday he sees the potential for Carter to have an even bigger impact moving forward.
From Carter's perspective, he knows he has more to give to a Lions team that puts a lot of value on special teams. He said Sunday was 'a decent start' for him, but his approach to the return game remains the same: Stay aggressive, be smart with the ball, bring energy to the team and give the offense the best field position possible.
Going a step further, though, is his goal whenever the ball is in his hands.
"At the end of the day," Carter said. "Every time I touch the ball, I'm trying to go to the house."
Prior to joining the Lions' roster, Carter had played in 111 NFL games, returning 155 punts and 144 kickoffs (299 total) for 1,508 and 3,399 yards, respectively over his career. He entered the league in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of Sacramento State, but didn't land a spot on a 53-man roster until 2018 in Philadelphia.
After three years of bouncing around practice squads, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp gave Carter his first opportunity in 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Fipp is my guy. Fipp gave me my first shot to make a 53 for real in the league," Carter said. "Even when I was on other teams playing against Detroit, pregame, whatever it is, I made sure I said what's up to (him). Fipp holds a special place in my heart and in my career for sure, and it's been great to get in here and work with him again. We all know Fipp, man, the energy is always there."
The Eagles brought Carter in for training camp that season, and he made it through the preseason to make the team's final roster.
When Carter stepped out on an NFL field for the first time on gameday in Week 1, the moment was bigger than just him.
"It was kind of just a full circle moment," Carter said. "I had a younger brother pass away when he was 17 years old and I was in college. I made him a promise that I would make it in the NFL for both of us. It was his dream as well, and that moment kind of felt like I lived up to that promise … It was an incredible moment not only for myself but for my family and honoring my brother's memory."
Carter made his first NFL reception in that Week 1 contest then proceeded to step in for running back Darren Sproles as a returner on special teams when Sproles suffered a hamstring injury.
From thereon out, Carter made his way around the NFL, with stops in Houston, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles (Chargers), Las Vegas and Cleveland and proving his worth on special teams. While with Washington in 2021, Carter made his most memorable play of his career.
Playing in Atlanta with his father in the stands, Carter ran a kick return all the way to the opposite end zone for a 101-yard touchdown return.
It was the first touchdown of his NFL career and it was worth the six years it took to get there. That's the blue-collar, gritty attitude that helps him fit right in with Detroit's culture. The grit and grind the Lions possess on and off the field is the kind of work ethic Carter's embodied throughout his career.
"Hard work, dedication, preparation and detail I think are things that are important to, if not everybody, most of the people in this locker room. And I think I fit into that because that's how I built my entire career," Carter said. "I worked for everything I ever got in this league … I had to work for this, and I think that blue-collar mindset and the grit that it takes to grind something out is what this team is built on."
Carter added that it's not just within the walls of the Meijer Performance Center where that mindset exists. The city itself is a blue-collar place with a lot of heart. The Lions take on Detroit's identity, play with that grit and represent their city when gamedays roll around and Carter plans on doing the same.
"I'm going to go out there and give it all I got on every single play when I'm out on the field," Carter said. "It doesn't matter what job is being asked of me at the time or what my role is at the time. I'm going to go out there and give it everything that I got. I'm going to empty the tank every Sunday."
