CHARLOTTE — Usually, when a free agent arrives here, they spend the first couple of months learning to navigate a new city, one in which the streets just randomly change directions or names at intersections without warning.

But for new Panthers punter Sam Martin, rolling up on Queens and Queens or Sharon and Sharon isn't that big of a deal, since he already knows the city so well.

Between working with a local kicking coach (Dan Orner) and the fact his sister lives here, he was a de facto Charlottean before he was ever a Panther, with favorite restaurants already and a clear sense of street names, neighborhoods, and local lore.

"My sister's been here 15 or 20 years, all my college roommates live here, the kicking coach I've used since college lives here, so it couldn't be a better fit at this point in my career," Martin said after arriving to sign a one-year deal. "So, Charlotte's always been kind of like a home away from home."

He thinks it's a good football fit as well, and the hope is that he's a smooth transition after Johnny Hekker's last three years here, one talented 35-year-old replacing another.

Panthers coach Dave Canales mentioned the similarities at the league's annual meeting this week, and they think Martin's background gives him some versatility. Martin's kicked indoors in Detroit, at elevation in Denver, and in cold weather in Buffalo.

Over the past three years, Hekker had a 47.0-yard gross average, a 42.7 net, and dropped 37.3 percent of his punts inside the 20. Martin had a 46.7 gross, a 40.2 net, and put 43.3 percent of his punts inside the 20.

"Consistency, steady," Canales said of Martin. "We looked at his numbers with Johnny, and you know, kick for kick, the averages were right around the same, so we just know what we can expect. Sam, in his history, he's had to play outdoors, you know, in some pretty harsh environments. Charlotte doesn't put him in that many really harsh weather situations, so we're really looking forward to seeing what he can do for us and giving us some flexibility."

Knowing the conditions is as important as knowing his way around town. His familiarity with the Carolinas extends back to his college days when he was an All-American punter at Appalachian State.

He was a big deal there, big enough to be a first-team All-American, set school records, and even kick (he was the kickoff guy, and was 7-of-10 on field goals and 16-of-17 on extra points when he had to take over the final four games of his senior season). He was also enough of a fixture at ASU that he would host players on recruiting visits, including when Panthers pro scout Lee McNeill visited Boone as a high schooler (before eventually signing with UNCC).

So, being as conversant with South Park restaurants (Steak 48 is his spot, "I'd eat there three times a week if I could") or Blowing Rock Road dive bars (he was a big Klondike and Parthenon guy back in the day) makes him feel perfectly comfortable here.

He's already had conversations with his new long snapper, JJ Jansen, and knows guys, including A'Shawn Robinson and Josey Jewell, from previous stops in the league, adding to the layers of familiarity.

"Well, JJ's reputation speaks for itself, really, so I know what I'm getting out of him; he's one of the best in the league," Martin said. "He's been doing it for a long time, which is huge for the punter. Obviously, it makes the job a lot easier for me punting and holding, and so a lot of it was just catching up; we've been playing against each other for a long time. And then just talking about culture, schedules, how they operate here and just bits and pieces of how things have been going here, and also getting to know each other a little bit."

He went through a similar process when he went to Buffalo (Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson has been there since 2016), so he relies on those established guys to help him transition.

But for all the things that feel similar, the one big change could come in terms of workload. While Hekker punted 236 times in the last three seasons, Martin had just 150 attempts. The Panthers have made significant strides on offense since the first half of last season after a rough 2023, but Martin joked about the luxury of being the punter for the team with one of the best offenses in the league. (The Bills were second, sixth, and second in the league in scoring during his three years there).

"It sounds nice when you punt once or twice a game like I did in Buffalo," he said with a laugh. "But you know, lots of those punts that come to the fourth quarter, so it's a lot of sitting, a lot of getting stiff, especially with the cold weather, so you have to pay a lot more attention on how to keep warm on the sidelines without overkicking, without overstretching.

"So I mean, obviously, if the team's punting a lot, it's not ideal. But it's also more work for the punter staying ready. Sometimes it's a little more beneficial for the punter to stay loose and kind of get into a rhythm."

"I still am totally fine with punting once a game, let's be clear," he added with a laugh. "Hopefully we can do that here."

But he won't miss the extreme amount of layering he had to do in Western New York and the very conscious steps he had to take to stay warm. Boone cold can be biting when the wind starts whipping through the valley, but Buffalo cold is a whole different beast, one you can't escape.

"Buffalo's way worse," he said with a shake of his head. "It can be bad in Boone, but that's just a taste of what Buffalo can get to. The cold is manageable. It's the wind that Buffalo gets that really makes it colder and harder to punt."

But in Charlotte, that's not as big of a factor since the weather's generally pleasant. He knows that already, one of the many reasons he already feels at home.