With injuries continuing to pile up, the Carolina Panthers had to dig deep to find some help. And that help, according to Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz, will be coming out of retirement.
As reported by Schultz on Monday afternoon, the Panthers plan on signing linebacker Blake Martinez, who worked out for the team on Oct. 25. Head coach Frank Reich later confirmed the addition following Monday’s walk-through.
Martinez was a fourth-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2016. He’d spend his first four pro campaigns there, recording 512 total tackles—including a league-leading 144 in his sophomore year of 2017.
After his rookie contract in Green Bay expired, Martinez inked a three-year, $30 million deal with the New York Giants in 2020. His second season with Big Blue would be cut short, as a torn ACL sidelined him after just three games in 2021.
A year later, Martinez would sign with the Las Vegas Raiders as a member of their practice squad. He’d go on to appear in four games before announcing his retirement in early November.
