Abdul Carter did not play the first six snaps of Sunday’s loss to the Packers, and it was later revealed that the hyped rookie was benched for the defense’s opening series for disciplinary purposes.
Interim head coach Mike Kafka did not disclose what Carter did to prompt the benching, but Carter owned up to it after the game.
“I made a mistake during the week that was detrimental to the team,” Carter said, via the New York Post. “I already know that whatever I do have is going to have consequences. That was the consequence, have to live with it, keep playing.”
Carter did not play in the first defensive series of the game, which led to a Green Bay punt. He returned to the game the following series and played every snap the rest of the way.
The former third overall pick had an increased role with the absence of the injured Kayvon Thibodeaux, but finished with just one tackle and one quarterback hit. Many expected a much more impactful rookie campaign from Carter, who has just 0.5 sacks on the season.
Kafka told reporters the reasoning behind the benching would be kept “in house,” but otherwise praised Carter in his postgame comments.
The decision was a bold one to begin Kafka’s tenure as the interim head coach, benching Carter after elevating Jameis Winston to the starting quarterback over Russell Wilson.