Sam Martin (American football)

For the wide receiver, see Sammy Martin.

Sam Joseph Martin (born February 27, 1990) is an American professional football punter 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]

Sam Martin

Martin with the Denver Broncos in 2021
No. 6 – Carolina Panthers
Position:	Punter
Personal information
Born:	(1990-02-27) February 27, 1990 (age 35) Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:	Starr's Mill (Fayetteville)
College:	Appalachian State (2008–2012)
NFL draft:	2013: 5th round, 165th pick
Career history
Detroit Lions (2013–2019) Denver Broncos (2020–2021) Buffalo Bills (2022–2024) Carolina Panthers (2025–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2013)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Punts: 748 Punting yards: 34,586 Punting average: 46.2 Longest punt: 72 Inside 20: 285 Stats at Pro Football Reference

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

In his senior season at Appalachian State University, he was selected to the Associated Press All-America First team.^[2] 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.^[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span
6 ft 0+1⁄8 in (1.83 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	30 in (0.76 m)	8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m)
All values from Pro Day[3]

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]

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
Career		189	755	34,886	31,105	72	46.2	41.0	4	287	58

Playoffs

Year	Team	Punting
		GP	Punts	Yds	Net Yds	Lng	Avg	Net Avg	Blk	Ins20	TB
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
2024	BUF	3	6	296	219	56	49.3	36.5	0	3	1
Career		9	25	1,311	1,104	56	46.8	38.5	0	12	2