Sam Martin (American football)
American football player (born 1990)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sam Joseph Martin (born February 27, 1990) is an American professional football punter and kickoff specialist for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers, and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft.[1]
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Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S.
Martin with the Denver Broncos in 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 6 – Carolina Panthers | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Punter / Kickoff specialist | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | February 27, 1990 Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Starr's Mill (Fayetteville) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Appalachian State (2008–2012) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2013: 5th round, 165th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||||
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Early life
Martin was lettered for soccer for four years and also received all-state recognition in his junior season at Starr's Mill High School.[2]
College career
Professional career
Detroit Lions
Martin was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[4]
In Week 12 of the 2015 season, Martin was awarded as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for four punts totaling 181 yards and only three punt return yards.[5]
Martin signed a four-year contract extension with the Lions on September 9, 2016.[6] At the conclusion of the 2016 NFL season, Martin was named as an alternate for the 2017 Pro Bowl, but did not participate in the game.[7]
On September 2, 2017, Martin was placed on the non-football injury list after suffering an ankle injury during the offseason.[8][9] He was activated to the active roster on October 28, 2017, for the team's Week 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[10]
Denver Broncos
On March 30, 2020, Martin signed a three-year, $7.05 million deal with the Denver Broncos.[11]
Martin was released by the Broncos on August 29, 2022, after he refused to take a pay cut.[12]
Buffalo Bills
On August 31, 2022, Martin signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills.[13] He signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract extension on March 13, 2023.[14]
Carolina Panthers
On March 11, 2025, the Carolina Panthers signed Martin to a one-year contract.[15] In Week 7, Martin had six punts with a long of 68 yards, with four punts landing inside the 20-yard line in a 13–6 win over the New York Jets, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[16]
On March 16, 2026, Martin re-signed with the Panthers on a one-year, $5 million contract.[17]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Punting | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | Ins20 | TB | ||
| 2013 | DET | 16 | 72 | 3,399 | 2,949 | 72 | 47.2 | 40.4 | 1 | 22 | 10 |
| 2014 | DET | 16 | 68 | 3,138 | 2,727 | 71 | 46.1 | 40.1 | 0 | 29 | 5 |
| 2015 | DET | 16 | 80 | 3,679 | 3,356 | 66 | 46.0 | 42.0 | 0 | 25 | 3 |
| 2016 | DET | 16 | 62 | 3,010 | 2,740 | 63 | 48.5 | 44.2 | 0 | 23 | 3 |
| 2017 | DET | 10 | 41 | 1,779 | 1,543 | 64 | 43.4 | 37.6 | 0 | 13 | 6 |
| 2018 | DET | 16 | 74 | 3,310 | 2,898 | 61 | 44.7 | 39.2 | 0 | 32 | 4 |
| 2019 | DET | 16 | 76 | 3,445 | 3,175 | 62 | 45.3 | 41.8 | 0 | 31 | 7 |
| 2020 | DEN | 16 | 65 | 3,040 | 2,734 | 69 | 46.8 | 41.4 | 1 | 19 | 4 |
| 2021 | DEN | 17 | 67 | 3,083 | 2,869 | 68 | 46.0 | 42.8 | 0 | 28 | 3 |
| 2022 | BUF | 16 | 45 | 2,146 | 1,895 | 67 | 47.7 | 41.2 | 1 | 16 | 5 |
| 2023 | BUF | 17 | 51 | 2,334 | 2,030 | 70 | 45.8 | 39.8 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| 2024 | BUF | 17 | 54 | 2,523 | 2,189 | 65 | 46.7 | 39.8 | 1 | 25 | 5 |
| 2025 | CAR | 17 | 56 | 2,642 | 2,269 | 68 | 47.2 | 40.5 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| Career | 206 | 811 | 37,528 | 33,399 | 72 | 46.3 | 41.0 | 4 | 314 | 61 | |
