Former Green Bay Packers linebacker Blake Martinez recently came out of retirement, and a team is already signing him to their active roster.
Martinez signed a practice-squad deal with the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago. On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Martinez off Carolina’s practice squad and added him to their 53-man roster, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Packers drafted Martinez out of Stanford in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Martinez then enjoyed four productive seasons in Green Bay. He had 144 or more combined tackles in three straight seasons with the team before signing with the New York Giants as a free agent in 2020.
Martinez, who is now 29, suffered a torn ACL early on in the 2021 season and was released by the Giants during the preseason the following year. He signed with the Raiders midway through the 2022 season and was with the team for only a month before announcing his retirement.
After he retired, Martinez opened up in an interview about how he had found success with a Pokemon card business. He said he did not want to “keep destroying my body” by playing in the NFL and was more passionate about running his business than playing football.
Martinez said his Pokemon card business brought in more than $11 million in 2022, so it is unclear if it remains that lucrative today. Either way, he has decided he wants to play football again. The Steelers are giving him a chance to contribute.
