[2] Carter originally signed a football letter of intent with Georgia Tech in 1996, but opted instead to play minor league baseball after being selected by the Chicago Cubs as an outfielder 52nd overall in the 1996 MLB draft.
[4] After spending two years away from football, he won the starting quarterback job in a contested battle over future University of Oklahoma starter Nate Hybl, among others.
Against Louisiana State University, he was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 27-of-34 passes (79.4% - career high) for 318 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In the 1998 Peach Bowl against the University of Virginia, he passed for 222 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions to lead Georgia from a 21–0 deficit to a 35–33 victory.
He received SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors after registering 349 passing yards and a touchdown on 26-of-41 completions against the University of Mississippi.
In the 2001 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys didn't have a first-round pick because of the trade that sent two first round choices to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiver Joey Galloway.
Looking for a replacement to the recently retired Troy Aikman, Carter was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round (53rd overall).
[11] At the time, it was a selection that was criticized by the media as a reach and it was later reported that owner/general manager Jerry Jones influenced the organization into making it.
Carter showed promise with 241 yards passing and two touchdowns, to become just the second Cowboys rookie to win NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The highlight of the season was Carter leading the Cowboys to a dramatic come from behind win for the second time in three weeks (the other one was against the St. Louis Rams), on his 25th birthday he turned a 13–0 deficit to the Carolina Panthers, into a 14–13 victory by throwing an 80-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway with 3:55 left, then a 24-yarder to Antonio Bryant with 56 seconds to go.
[13] He lost the starting job after a 9–6 loss in the seventh game against the Arizona Cardinals, in which he engaged in a heated sideline argument with Jerry Jones.
In 2003, with the arrival of new head coach Bill Parcells, all positions were opened to competition, and Carter was involved in a publicized quarterback controversy, when he and Hutchinson competed for a roster spot in the 2002 edition of Hard Knocks, an HBO series that covers the training camp of an NFL team.
Carter regained the starting role, bringing stability to the quarterback position and leading the team to a 10–6 record and a playoff appearance.
Dallas trailed by three points with 11 seconds remaining, when he connected a 26-yard pass with wide receiver Antonio Bryant to set up Billy Cundiff's 52-yard field goal that sent the game into overtime.
In the extra period, he completed 5-of-8 passes for 61 yards, including a 23-yard toss to tight end Dan Campbell that set up the game winning field goal for a final score of 35–32.
The group of quarterbacks for the Cowboys that offseason had expanded with the trade for yet another former baseball player, Drew Henson, and the acquisition of Vinny Testaverde off waivers.
Before Carter's release, it had been projected that he had an edge over Testaverde for the starting role and that third-string quarterback Tony Romo would be waived.
There he is, he got his team in the playoffs, he's the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, he's playing good, he's improving, he can get out of trouble, he's pretty smart, he can make almost every throw -- and it's just, some people just can’t fight the pressure to succeed.
On August 24, 2004, Carter was signed to a one-year contract by the New York Jets to serve as a veteran backup to Chad Pennington.
[18] He ended up starting three games (winning two) after Pennington injured his rotator cuff, and if not for his performance, the team would not have made the playoffs.
[19] He finished the season with some of the best statistics of his career: 35 completions in 58 passes for 498 yards, 3 touchdowns, one interception and a 98.2 passer rating.
The Jets declared him inactive for the divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 15, announcing that he had left the team to attend to his sick mother, when in reality he had enrolled into a rehabilitation program.
On April 4, 2006, Carter was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League to a one-year contract with an option for 2007, to be the backup to Anthony Calvillo.
[28] In March 2009, Carter signed a one-year contract with the Abilene Ruff Riders of the Indoor Football League.
He was released in lieu of a $500 bond paid by Dallas sports talk-show host and journalist, Randy Galloway.
[35] His personal problems continued until July 2013, when he was arrested again and charged with family violence simple battery after authorities said he allegedly threw a child safety seat at his girlfriend.