Blake Martinez

Blake Martinez's Biography

Blake Edmon Martinez, an esteemed American professional football linebacker, was born on January 9, 1994, in Tucson, Arizona, to Marc and Carrisa Martinez. Hailing from a Mexican-American lineage, Martinez grew up honing his inherent talent for sports at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley. Here, he excelled not just in football—where he played varied roles as a tight end, running back, and linebacker under the guidance of head coach Dustin Peace—but also in basketball and volleyball, indicating his versatility across different realms of athletics.

His extraordinary prowess on the football field earned Martinez numerous accolades; a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and nomination to the PrepStar All-West Region Team being among them. His senior year saw him setting a school record with 247 tackles and tallying impressive 1,100 total offensive yards.

Martinez’s credible high school performance summoned the interest of several colleges, resulting in multiple scholarship offers from renowned institutions like Stanford, Boise State, Oregon State, and San Jose State. Despite this, he opted for Stanford, signing his letter of intent on August 1, 2011.

His freshman stint with Stanford Cardinal in 2012 was commendable, featuring in 14 matches and marking his first college career tackle against Duke University. This was later rewarded with the Stanford’s Greg Piers Service Team Award for his exceptional contribution to defense.

In his sophomore year of 2013, the linebacker participated in 10 games, making 11 tackles (seven solos). His most impactful match that year was against the California Golden Bears, where he made six tackles, forced a fumble, and earned his first career interception. He concluded his second year earning an honorable mention at the Academic All-Pac-12 Conference.

2014 was a turning point in Martinez’s college career; he started in 13 games and displayed noteworthy performances by bagging over ten tackles in three of them. One remarkable game included intercepting back-to-back passes by quarterback Jared Goff, interrupting Goff’s school record for most consecutive attempts without an interception. His performance earned him a team-leading 102 tackles and honorable mention at the All-Pac-12 and Phil Steele’s All-Pac-12 third team.

Senior year, 2015, unfolded further opportunities for Martinez. With a promising beginning by being named to Phil Steele’s All-America preseason fourth team and All-Pac-12 First team, Martinez registered a team-high 141 tackles (75 solo), 1.5 sacks, and six pass breakups. His remarkable performance earned him positions on the All-Pac-12 first team by the Conference, the Associated Press, and Phil Steele.

Following his commendable college career, Martinez was called to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Here, he completed all drills, earning prestigious second, third, and fifth ranks in the three-cone drill, short shuttle, and bench press, respectively. He was among the 39 invited collegiate linebackers. On March 17, 2016, during Stanford’s pro day, Martinez, despite mainly focusing on the 60-yard shuttle, vertical jump (34″), and positional drills, caught the attention of several professional team representatives and scouts. This included Chip Kelly, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Doug Whaley, general manager of the Buffalo Bills.

The Green Bay Packers selected Martinez in the fourth round (131st overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He ended up signing a four-year contract worth $2.72 million with them.

Martinez proved his worth throughout his time with the Packers, having established excellent rapport with fellow inside linebacker Jake Ryan. With multiple career-high tackles, forced fumbles, interceptions, and even a few well-timed sacks, he emerged as a valuable player for the team. However, despite his prolonged contributions to the Packers for almost four seasons, in March 2020, Martinez signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the New York Giants.

With the Giants, Martinez continued his extraordinary performances, leading the team with 13 tackles in his debut match. Throughout the season, he displayed his unwavering skill and dedication, ultimately finishing the season with 151 total tackles.

The 2021 season was a turbulent time for Martinez as he suffered a torn ACL in Week 3, leading to him being placed on the season-ending injured reserve on September 29, 2021. Despite the setback, he was released on September 1, 2022, and later signed with the Las Vegas Raiders for a short stint.

However, on November 10, 2022, Martinez surprised many by announcing his retirement from professional football after seven seasons. Funnily enough, his decision to retire was reportedly influenced by his profitable hobby of selling Pokémon cards.

In February 2023, it came to light that Martinez made more than $5 million in just seven months from selling Pokémon cards, with his channel, Blake’s Breaks, becoming one of the largest-volume Pokémon channels on Whatnot. However, his stint with Pokémon was short-lived as he faced accusations of scamming buyers, leading to his permanent ban from the Whatnot platform.

Despite the brief controversy, Martinez remained undeterred in his professional life. On October 17, 2023, he was released from the Raiders’ retired list. Following this, he worked out with the Carolina Panthers on October 25, 2023, signaling his intention to make a comeback to the NFL. However, as of November 6, 2023, it is confirmed that Martinez has returned to his love for professional football, breathing life into his career once more. His journey illustrates resilience, passion, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.