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.
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.
College career In his senior season at Appalachian State University, he was selected to the Associated Press All-America First team. He also was named to the first-team All-America by College Sports Journal and third-team all-America by The Sports Network in his senior season.
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.
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.
Martin signed a four-year contract extension with the Lions on September 9, 2016. 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.
On September 2, 2017, Martin was placed on the non-football injury list after suffering an ankle injury during the offseason. He was activated to the active roster on October 28, 2017, for the team's Week 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Denver Broncos On March 30, 2020, Martin signed a three-year, $7.05 million deal with the Denver Broncos.
Martin was released by the Broncos on August 29, 2022, after he refused to take a pay cut.
Buffalo Bills On August 31, 2022, Martin signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. He signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract extension on March 13, 2023.
Carolina Panthers On March 11, 2025, the Carolina Panthers signed Martin to a one-year contract. 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.
On March 16, 2026, Martin re-signed with the Panthers on a one-year, $5 million contract.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Punting Punts 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 2024BUF17542,5232,1896546.739.812552025CAR17562,6422,2696847.240.502732026CAR310479316147.942.8061 Career 209 821 38,007 33,802 72 46.3 41.0 4 320 62
Playoffs Year Team Punting Punts 2014 DET 1 4 142 142 48 35.5 35.5 0 2 0 2016 DET 1 5 232 227 55 46.4 45.4 0 2 0 2022 BUF 2 9 418 320 53 46.4 35.6 0 3 1 2023 BUF 2 5 223 196 52 44.6 39.2 0 2 0 2024BUF362962195649.336.50312025CAR131631655854.355.0030 Career 10 32 1,474 1,269 56 46.8 39.6 0 12 2
References
External links
Carolina Panthers bio Appalachian State Mountaineers bio