(Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire)
The Carolina Panthers made a lowkey, very impactful re-signing on Tuesday morning.
According to Aaron Wilson, they agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Special Teams contributor Sam Franklin, one of the best in the league in that regard.
Signing a new one-year deal with #Panthers Sam Franklin had 20 tackles, one for a loss last season. Has 67 career tackles, three for losses one sack. Played 76 pct of special teams snaps last season https://t.co/AFTKLkspgq
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 25, 2023
They had already placed a restricted free-agent tender on him a month ago.
The Panthers offered him $2.627 million, and any other team would have the opportunity to match the offer sheet, but that wasn’t the case.
Over the past season, Franklin broke out as one of the best Special Teams players in the league, leading the franchise’s unit in tackles and playing 76% of the special team snaps last season.
Franklin logged 20 tackles (one for a loss) and has recorded 67 throughout his career.
He also logged a forced fumble when he was asked to step up for their defense, showcasing some versatility at a very reasonable price.
The Panthers are expected to be one of the most improved teams in the league next season.
Frank Reich took the reins of a squad that showed plenty of fight in the second half of the campaign in 2022, and they managed to add some key contributors to the offense, like Adam Thielen and Miles Sanders.
More than that, they’re expected to land Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, putting themselves in a privileged position to dominate the NFC South for years to come, so it’s nice to see that they’re also doing their best to keep those key, yet lesser-known contributors around him.
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