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The Buffalo Bills cut ties with punter Matt Araiza on over the weekend ahead of final 53-man roster cuts, and they're quickly getting to work on finding a replacement. The Bills reportedly brought in former Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions punter Sam Martin for a visit on Wednesday in hopes of potentially signing him ahead of the 2022 NFL season, according to Damond Talbot of Draft Diamonds.
Breaking: Former Broncos punter Sam Martin is in Buffalo for a visit with the Bills https://t.co/wwFg8AJN7K
— Damond Talbot (@DamondTalbot) August 31, 2022
The Bills used a sixth-round pick to land Araiza in the 2022 NFL Draft out of San Diego State. The 22-year-old who was nicknamed “Punt God” was envisioned as the Bills' punter for the foreseeable future, yet he wound up not even lasting until the start of the 2022 NFL season.
Araiza stands accused of gangraping a minor alongside two of his former San Diego State teammates during his time with the Aztecs. A civil lawsuit alleges that Araiza, who was 21 at the time, had sex with a 17-year-old high school student at a party off-campus in October of 2021. The lawsuit included some harrowing details of the incident, including that Araiza and his two former teammates gang-raped the 17-year-old, who was under the age of consent in the state of California. The Bills claim not to have known about the incident when they drafted Araiza.
The Bills released Araiza on Aug. 27, and he officially cleared waivers on Wednesday, not that it was much of a surprise.
Now, the Bills are focusing on finding a replacement at punter and could turn to Martin, who has plenty of experience in the NFL. Martin was the Lions' fifth-round pick back in the 2013 NFL Draft. He spent seven years as the Lions' punter before joining the Broncos in 2020, where he'd play two seasons. After parting ways with Denver this offseason, Martin may find another opportunity as a punter with the Bills.
