Mark Carrier

John Mark Carrier (born October 28, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nicholls Colonels and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1987 NFL draft. He worked for the Carolina Panthers in their front office from 2011 to 2020, and was hired by the Buffalo Bills as their player engagement director in 2021.

Early life Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, Carrier, raised by his mother, was a standout three-sport prep athlete at Church Point High School in football, basketball and track. He was all-state and all-conference as a senior with an average of 22 points and 12 rebounds per game in basketball. In track, he finished 3rd in the state of Louisiana in the 800 meter run after going undefeated the entire year. In football, he excelled as a receiver, defensive back and returner. He graduated with honors before attending Nicholls State University.

College career Carrier played college football at Nicholls State University and was named first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team Kodak All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 1986. He finished his football career as the Colonels' all-time receiving leader in receptions (142), yards (2709), yards per catch (20.4) and 100 yard games (11). He helped lead his team to the Division 1AA National Championships eventually losing to Georgia Southern in the Quarterfinals, the eventual National Champions. He was voted into the Nicholls State University Hall of Fame. Once he retired for professional football, he later returned to Nicholls and graduated.

Professional career

Carrier played in 12 National Football League seasons from 1987 to 1998. A 1989 Pro Bowl selection for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carrier caught a career-high 86 receptions for 1,422 yards and nine touchdowns that year. After six years with the Buccaneers, Carrier signed a 3-year contract with the Cleveland Browns where he experienced his first appearance in the playoffs. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL expansion draft. Carrier ranks sixth all-time on the Carolina Panthers' all-time receiving list with 176 receptions and fifth in receiving yards with 2,547. On September 1, 1995, Carrier scored the first NFL points and touchdown in South Carolina (Memorial Stadium, Clemson University aka "Death Valley") for the Carolina Panthers. One year later, in September 1996, Carrier scored the first NFL touchdown in Charlotte at Ericsson Stadium (now known as Bank of America Stadium). He finished his 12-year career playing in 177 games, with 569 catches for 8763 yards averaging 15.4 yards per catch while scoring 48 touchdowns. He also averaged 10.9 yards per return with 229 yards on 21 returns with 1 touchdown.

Front office career After 12 years of retirement, Carrier returned to the Panthers to serve as director of player development for the Carolina Panthers. and promoted to executive director of football staff on May 9, 2019.

Carrier was hired by the Buffalo Bills as their player engagement director on March 17, 2021.

NFL career statistics Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1987 TB 10 5 26 423 16.3 38 3 1988 TB 16 16 57 970 17.0 59 5 1989 TB 16 15 86 1,422 16.5 78 9 1990 TB 16 16 49 813 16.6 68 4 1991 TB 16 16 47 698 14.9 35 2 1992 TB 14 12 56 692 12.4 40 4 1993 CLE 16 16 43 746 17.3 55 3 1994 CLE 16 6 29 452 15.6 43 5 1995 CAR 16 14 66 1,002 15.2 66 3 1996 CAR 16 15 58 808 13.9 39 6 1997 CAR 9 6 33 436 13.2 36 2 1998 CAR 16 1 19 301 15.8 42 2 Career 177 138 569 8,763 15.4 78 48