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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

punter for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Appalachian State Mountaineers The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and were ...

, and was selected by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

in the fifth round of the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

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

in the fifth round of the

. 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 The 2017 Pro Bowl (branded as the 2017 Pro Bowl presented by Aquafina for sponsorship reasons) was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2016 season, which was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on January 29, 20 ...

, 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 The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

Denver Broncos

On March 30, 2020, Martin signed a three year, $7.05 million deal with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. 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 The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. He signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract extension on March 13, 2023.

Carolina Panthers

On March 11, 2025, the

signed Martin to a one-year contract.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioAppalachian State Mountaineers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Sam 1990 births Living people Players of American football from Fayetteville, Georgia American football punters Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Detroit Lions players Denver Broncos players Buffalo Bills players Carolina Panthers players