A Carolina Panthers in-house free agent seemingly had real interest from most of the NFL . . . literally.
Safety Sam Franklin Jr., who spent the first five years of his pro career with the Panthers, recently joined the Denver Broncos on a new one-year deal. And according to Broncos reporter Mike Klis of 9News, the 29-year-old defensive back had similar offers from 17 teams.
One of those teams may have been the Panthers. Back in February, Joe Person of The Athletic wrote that Carolina was interested in bringing Franklin Jr. back to the roster.
The pact from Denver, per Klis, pays out a base salary of $1.17 million. He can earn up to $1.5 million for the 2025 campaign with added incentives.
Franklin Jr. cracked into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Carolina in 2020. He served primarily as a gunner in return coverage, with 1,327 of his 2,109 snaps (62.9 percent) coming on special teams.
Panthers players voted Franklin Jr. as one of four team captains for the 2024 season.
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