Age: 30
Free Agency: 2029 (UFA)
Accrued Seasons: 6
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 210
- College: Temple
- Entry: 2020 Undrafted Free Agent (Panthers)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $1,916,666 (0.64% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $2,750,000 (0.94% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 1.43
- Contract Value: $7,000,000 ($2,333,333 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $2,530,000
- Contract Ranking: 51/193 at S
Current Contract
(UFA, signed 2026)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Signing Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | $1,280,000 | $416,666 | $170,000 | $50,000 | $1,280,000 | $1,916,666 | 0.6% | |||||
| 2027
March 15: $1.67 million becomes guaranteed
| 31 | $2,030,000 | $416,666 | $170,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $2,666,666 | 0.8% | |||||
| 2028 | 32 | $1,780,000 | $416,668 | $170,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $2,416,668 | 0.7% | |||||
| Total | $5,090,000 | $1,250,000 | $510,000 | $150,000 | $1,280,000 | $7,000,000 | |||||||
Contract Notes
Sam Franklin signed a three year, $7 million contract with the Bills on February 27, 2026. $4.2 million is guaranteed of which $2.53 is fully guaranteed at signing. Franklin received a signing bonus worth $1.25 million and his 2026 salary is fully guaranteed.
Cash Flows
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $2,750,000 | $2,250,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Running Cash | $2,750,000 | $5,000,000 | $7,000,000 |
Career Earnings: $9,972,500
Career APY: $1,662,083
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | UDFA | Expired | 2020 | 3 | $2,300,000 | $766,667 | $90,000 | $2,300,000 | 100.0% | $766,667 |
| Panthers | RFA | Expired | 2023 | 1 | $2,510,000 | $2,510,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,510,000 | 100.0% | $2,510,000 |
| Panthers | UFA | Expired | 2024 | 1 | $2,575,000 | $2,575,000 | $1,125,000 | $2,575,000 | 100.0% | $2,575,000 |
| Broncos | UFA | Terminated | 2025 | 1 | $1,337,500 | $1,337,500 | $1,337,500 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Bills | Practice | Renegotiated | 2025 | 1 | $315,000 | $315,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Bills | SFA | Expired | 2025 | 1 | $1,170,000 | $1,170,000 | $0 | $1,170,000 | 100.0% | $1,170,000 |
| Bills | UFA | Active | 2026 | 3 | $7,000,000 | $2,333,333 | $2,530,000 | $1,250,000 | 17.9% | $0 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 5 | $7,385,000 | $1,477,000 | $4,735,000 | 0.0% | $1,200,000 | 0.0% |
| Broncos | 0 | $167,500 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $1,337,500 | 0.0% |
| Bills | 1 | $2,420,000 | $2,420,000 | $1,030,000 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Panthers | $610,000 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | $75,000 | $615,000 | 0.3% | $625,000 | ||
| 2021 | Panthers | $780,000 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $785,000 | 0.4% | $780,000 | ||
| 2022 | Panthers | $895,000 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $900,000 | 0.4% | $895,000 | ||
| 2023 | Panthers | $1,010,000 | $300,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,310,000 | 0.6% | $2,510,000 | ||
| 2024 | Panthers | $2,575,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,125,000 | $1,125,000 | 0.4% | $2,575,000 | ||
| 2025 | Bills | $1,170,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,030,000 | 0.4% | $1,170,000 | ||
| 2026 | Bills | $1,280,000 | $416,666 | $170,000 | $50,000 | $1,280,000 | $1,916,666 | 0.6% | $2,750,000 | ||
| 2027 | Bills | $2,030,000 | $416,666 | $170,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $2,666,666 | 0.8% | $2,250,000 | ||
| 2028 | Bills | $1,780,000 | $416,668 | $170,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $2,416,668 | 0.7% | $2,000,000 | ||
| Total | $12,130,000 | $1,565,000 | $510,000 | $150,000 | $2,480,000 | $12,765,000 | $15,555,000 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Tackles | Negative Plays | Interceptions | Fumbles | TD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Special | Solo | Assist | Sacks | Yards | TFL | QB Hits | Pass Def. | INT | Yards | Forced | Rec. | Yards | ||||
| 2020 | 14 | 2 | 24.6% | 34.4% | 15 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 16 | 0 | 14.1% | 57.1% | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 17 | 0 | 7.6% | 76.2% | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 17 | 0 | 27.4% | 70.7% | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | 0.3% | 50.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 17 | 0 | 0.6% | 75.8% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $1,666,000 | $2,333,333 |
| Injury Adjusted | $1,666,000 | $2,333,333 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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