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It’s official, former New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez is indeed making an NFL comeback with the Carolina Panthers after first working out for the NFC South franchise on October 25.
Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz shared the news on November 6, relaying: “Veteran LB Blake Martinez is coming out of retirement and is signing with the Panthers, sources tell @BleacherReport.”
“Martinez, who has over 700 career tackles and 39 TFLs, was last with the [Las Vegas] Raiders after spending his first six years with the [Green Bay] Packers and Giants,” Schultz informed.
During the Big Blue portion of his career, Martinez started just 19 games over two seasons after signing a $30.75 million contract. He was voted a defensive team captain in 2020, registering three sacks, 10 TFLs, two forced fumbles, one interception and 174 total tackles as a Giant.
Ex-Giants LB Blake Martinez Left NFL to Buy & Sell Pokémon Cards, But Was Later Banned
You might have heard the story that Martinez retired from the game of football unexpectedly to buy and sell Pokémon cards at age 28. It’s all true.
In fact, Martinez’s company “Blake’s Breaks” was quite successful during its brief but eventful run within the trading card community. The Athletic’s Zak Keefer wrote a feature article detailing this unique career change on July 14, 2023.
“[Martinez] started his own company, Blake’s Breaks, and it took off immediately,” Keefer shared at the time. “Martinez has since hired nearly 20 full-time staffers, and collectively, they host 16 hours of live streams per day, establishing themselves as one of the biggest Pokémon channels on Whatnot.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Whatnot, it’s a self-proclaimed “social marketplace where you can discover some of your favorite products through live [online] auctions.”
Using this platform, Martinez reportedly built a business that “climbed past $11.5 million” in revenues “in less than a year,” according to The Athletic.
His company was wildly successful. Then, unfortunately, fate had other plans.
On August 4, 2023, Whatnot decided to ban Blake’s Breaks and Martinez after a formal investigation that resulted in customer refunds.
“We really appreciate the community’s commitment to reporting trust & safety issues,” Whatnot posted on X at the time. “Our priority is ensuring a fair and honest experience for customers and upholding our community guidelines. After a comprehensive investigation into Blakesbreaks’ operations we have decided to permanently remove the seller from our platform, including the individual employees involved in misconduct.”
NintendoLife.com reporter Alan Lopez later explained that Blake’s Breaks had “been embroiled in controversy… following a series of accusations from customers and fellow card game streamers.”
Lopez listed the alleged scamming practices, which included “theft from customer orders, sleight of hand, and trading card pack manipulation.”
Giants Competing With Panthers for No. 1 Draft Pick
Speaking of Carolina — Martinez’s new home — the Panthers (1-7) are in direct competition with the Giants (2-7) for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Only, the NFC South franchise doesn’t even own the rights to their selection, having traded it to the Chicago Bears in 2023.
Still, whether it’s Carolina or Chicago walking up to the podium, the Giants have one more victory than the Panthers heading into Week 10.
The G-Men are also stuck behind the Arizona Cardinals (1-8), a team they beat in Week 2 — although Kyler Murray’s return could spark a second half rebound in the desert.
The Bears (2-7) are in the mix with their own selection too, and so are the New England Patriots (2-7).
Given the Giants’ current situation at quarterback, expect more and more fans to focus on draft position in the coming weeks. After all, the thought of top QB prospects Caleb Williams and Drake Maye offer hope, if nothing else.
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