One more year!
According to Joe Person of The Athletic, the Carolina Panthers are set to bring back safety Sam Franklin Jr. He’s expected to sign a one-year deal.
Franklin cracked into the organization as an undrafted free agent in May of 2020. He had spent the previous four years of his football career at Temple University, where he crossed paths with future (and now former) head coach Matt Rhule in 2016.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defensive back has made his imprint in Carolina as a special teams ace. He played 156 snaps on the unit in 2020, 258 in 2021, 359 in 2022 and 313 this past season.
2023 also saw Franklin notch his first career interception, one he brought back for a 99-yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4.
Now 28 years old, Franklin has appeared in 64 games over his four seasons for the Panthers. He has recorded 97 combined tackles (three for a loss), the pick-six, a sack, a forced fumble, five passes defensed and two quarterback hits.
