The Carolina Panthers re-signed safety and special teams ace Sam Franklin on an undisclosed one-year deal on Wednesday, according to a source. Franklin, a former undrafted free agent out of Temple, began his NFL career in 2020 with the Panthers and has spent all four of his NFL seasons with the organization. The 28-year-old defensive back had a career-high 30 tackles (20 solo) and an interception returned for a touchdown in 17 games (four starts) in his fourth year in Carolina in 2023. Franklin played 310 snaps on special teams and will likely continue in that role in his fifth year with the team in 2024. In his four NFL campaigns, Franklin has just 97 tackles (69 solo), one sack, the interception returned for a score, five passes defended and a force fumble in 64 games (nine starts).
