The Buffalo Bills are bringing back one of their unsung heroes. Sam Franklin Jr. has agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $7.5 million, with $5 million guaranteed in the first two years. It’s not the biggest contract of the offseason. No one’s putting Franklin on a billboard in Times Square. But Bills fans who actually pay attention to the full game.
Franklin is a special teams ace. Full stop. And in a league where field position can be the difference between a playoff run and an early flight home, that matters more than people want to admit.
What Sam Franklin Brings To the Bills
Franklin joined Buffalo last August off the practice squad and quietly worked his way onto the active roster before Week 1 even kicked off. From there, he didn’t miss a beat. He appeared in all 17 regular season games, logging a jaw-dropping 75.8% of special teams snaps. That’s not a contributor. That’s a cornerstone.
He finished the year with 13 tackles on special teams, doing the dirty work that most fans don’t notice until it goes wrong. Franklin is the guy sprinting down the field on kickoffs while everyone else is watching the returner. He sets the tone. He makes the block. He’s the first one to the pile.
At 30 years old, he’s not a prospect. He’s a proven commodity. And in Buffalo, where winning the AFC East has become an annual expectation, experience on special teams is genuinely worth paying for.
From Temple To Carolina To Buffalo
Franklin’s path to a multi-year deal wasn’t handed to him. He came out of Temple as an undrafted free agent. He spent five seasons grinding through that process with the Carolina Panthers before Buffalo gave him a shot.
That chip on his shoulder? It doesn’t go away. Players who earn everything they have tend to protect it fiercely. That’s exactly the type of veteran presence the Bills want around younger players who are still figuring out what it takes to last in this league.
Why Special Teams Signings Like Franklin Actually Matter
Here’s the thing about special teams: everybody ignores it until a muffed punt costs your team a playoff game. Then, suddenly, everyone’s an expert.
The Bills clearly don’t want to learn that lesson the hard way. Re-signing Franklin is a deliberate choice to invest in the phase of the game that often decides close contests. Special teams yards are real yards. Field position is real leverage. And a guy who plays 75% of special teams snaps and doesn’t get beat. That is genuinely hard to find.
Buffalo made similar calculated moves in the same week, bringing back Offensive Lineman Alec Anderson and Defensive Lineman Phidarian Mathis on one-year deals. The theme is clear: keep the guys who know the system, trust the process, and do their job without needing their name in the headlines.
The Bills Are Building Depth, Not Just Stars
It’s easy to get caught up in the splash signings every March. The quarterback trades, the wide receiver reunions, the defensive stars changing coasts. But sustainable winning in the NFL is built in the details.
Sam Franklin isn’t going to win the Bills a Super Bowl by himself. Nobody is. But he’s the kind of player that championship rosters are quietly built around. Reliable. Tough. Professional. The kind of guy coaches trust in the biggest moments because he’s never given them a reason not to.
