Unbeknownst to the public, there was a massive bidding war for former Carolina Panthers safety Sam Franklin — a war ultimately won by the Denver Broncos.
9NEWS' insider Mike Klis reported that Denver beat out 17 other teams to land the core special-teamer, who last week inked a one-year, $1.17 million contract with a $167,500 signing bonus.
"Franklin had similar one-year offers from 17 teams per his agent Harold Lewis. Conversations with Darren Rizzi, George Paton helped put Broncos over the top. $1.17m salary plus $167,500 SB all full guarantee," Klis wrote on April 8.
Undrafted in 2020, Franklin appeared in 74 games for the Panthers across the last five seasons. He's totaled 105 career tackles and one interception (a 99-yard pick-six) while playing the majority (1,327) of his career snaps (2,109) on special teams.
Franklin (6-3, 210) was a four-year contributor at Temple where he began as an outside linebacker before shifting to the defensive backfield. He finished with 194 tackles (24 tackles for loss), eight sacks, eight pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and two touchdowns during his time with the Owls.
"He's impossible to miss," ex-Panthers punter Johnny Hekker said last October. "Sam is a presence. I'm so happy to have him back; he makes an impact. He brings that energy. It shows up everywhere. The world gets to see it on Sundays, but really, his attentiveness in meetings, he's not afraid to speak up. If something's not up to par, he'll call things out of the meeting, he'll make verbal checks. We see him at his seat; he does a good job of being a vocal leader. When he's on the practice field, he's doing the same thing. He's encouraging guys to communicate, talking a little bit of trash to up the stakes a little bit and just raise a sense of urgency."
Unlikely to have much of a role on defense, Franklin should operate as an ace for Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, effectively replacing former CB Tremon Smith, who defected to the Houston Texans in March.
Franklin, 29, is the seventh outside free agent signed by Denver this offseason, joining fellow S Talanoa Hufanga, inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, tight end Evan Engram, wide receiver Trent Sherfield, quarterback Sam Ehlinger, and punter Matt Haack.
“I feel like we got better," general manager George Paton said at the Annual NFL Meeting in Florida last month. "I feel like we have a better offense, defense and special teams. We brought in some really good players, good people and good leaders, especially the first four that we brought in, [they are] all kind of captain material. We feel really good about the haul.”
