There is a lot of speculation about Andre Carter. I think for the Pats is a matter of dollars per potential production. There is also the issue of how he is going to recover (at his age) from an extensive injury. But there is ANOTHER factor that should be considered.
A lot has been made of his 10 sacks in 14 games last season. When he was clearly the best all round defensive player the Pats had, and a legitimate all pro. HOWEVER it should be noted that Carter has NEVER had 2 consecutive seasons of double digit sacks. So while he had 10 sacks last season, he only had 2.5 in 2010. He had 11 in 1009, but only 4 in 2009.
So if you consider his age. If you consider his recovery from a significant injury. AND if you consider the fact he's never had 2 great sack seasons in a row;he comes with a certain degree of risk. At the right price it would be worth the risk, but there is a certain number the Pats have in mind, and I doubt they will go over it.
You also have to think that those considerations are there for other teams as well.
The good news is that he's now healthy enough to start having work outs, so whatever is going to happen with him, is likely to happen soon.