"Your guess is as good as mine," Carter said about his future with the Patriots, according to a report by Comcast Sports Network New England. "They kind of just said, 'Thanks for everything,' at the end of the year and I haven't heard from them since. But I'm optimistic everything works out."
Carter and defensive end Mark Anderson represented a huge portion of the Patriots' pass rush last season, and Anderson was allowed to leave to sign a lucrative deal with the rival Bills.
As a team, the Patriots recorded 40 quarterback sacks in 2011. Anderson and Carter combined for exactly half that total with 10 quarterback takedowns apiece.
Carter, 33, is rehabbing from a quadriceps tear suffered in a December game in Denver. It's unclear if the injury is factoring in to the Patriots' reluctance to begin negotiations, or if perhaps they're just waiting until after the draft process ends.
The loss of both Anderson and now Carter would leave a large amount of production to replace. Many draft experts already expect the Patriots to target a pass rusher with a high draft pick.
Carter was signed last year as a free agent after playing five seasons with the Redskins. Carter is ninth among active players with 76 career sacks.
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