Carolina Panthers agree to terms with punter Sam Martin on contract

The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms on a contract with punter Sam Martin, the team announced Tuesday. Martin is a 12-year NFL veteran who most recently played with the Buffalo Bills this past season.

The former fifth-round pick out of Appalachian State averaged 46.7 yards per punt in 2024 and landed 25 punts inside the 20. This will be the fourth team he has played for in his career as he also had stints with the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos.

Johnny Hekker punted for Carolina in 2024 but is a free agent this offseason. In light of the Panthers’ agreement with Sam Martin, it seems that he may be headed elsewhere in 2025.

Overall for his career, Martin has averaged 46.2 yards per punt and landed 38% of his kicks inside the 20-yard line. He joins a Panthers team that is coming off of a 5-12 finish this past season and looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Details were not given on the length or amount of the contract. NFL free agency is set to officially begin at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, so players can begin signing their contracts then.

More on the Carolina Panthers, NFL Free Agency 

Meanwhile, the Panthers agreed to pay a different star on their team earlier this week. Jaycee Horn, who’s coming off his best season in his fourth year with the franchise, will now be compensated at a historic, market-changing number in the NFL.

Per Ian Rapoport, Carolina has signed Horn to a four-year deal worth a total of $100 million with $70 million of that guaranteed. The contract has a maximum value of up to $108 million. With that, Horn is now the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. He and the Panthersboth announced the news as Horn took to Twitter this morning to share his gratitude for the extension.

The $25 million per year is highest now among defensive backs in the NFL. This contract also puts Horn just behind Denzel Ward in total value but ahead of a collection that consists of names like Marshon Lattimore, Marlon Humphrey, Trevon Diggs, and Patrick Surtain II.

Horn has appeared in 37 starts the past four seasons in Charlotte. In that time, he has posted 153 tackles, 26 deflections, and five interceptions plus a pair of sacks.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this article.