Former Lions punter Sam Martin confirmed he did have an offer to remain in Detroit but chose to accept a free agent deal with the Denver Broncos instead. Martin made the admission during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday.
Martin was asked by McAfee why he chose to go to Denver and if he had an offer to remain with the Lions, where he has been the punter and primary kickoff specialist since 2013.
“I did have an offer to go back to Detroit,” Martin said. “I was definitely interested in going back to Detroit.”
However, he liked the idea of going to Denver. Lions kicker Matt Prater, who began his career with the Broncos, helped sell him on the benefits of playing in the Mile High City as a specialist. So did a bigger payday.
“Combined with all the praise I used to get from Prater on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general, it became the place where I really wanted to land,” Martin said. “Detroit was definitely still on the table but Denver was a little more appealing and the contract was as well.”
Martin signed a 3-year deal with Denver that averages $2.35 million per year.
"All the praise I used to get from @MattPrater_5 on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general it became a place where I really wanted to land"
New #Broncos punter @SamMartin_6 on what went into his Free Agent decision #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/eojQemIfwi
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 29, 2020