When it comes to injuries in 2023, the Carolina Panthers have proven they sure can catch ’em all. So now, they’re trying to catch a break.
As reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Panthers worked out linebacker Blake Martinez on Wednesday. The 29-year-old last played in 2022, as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Martinez was drafted into the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2016. The University of Stanford product, who was honored with a First-team All-Pac-12 nod on his way out, would go on to have a productive first four seasons.
He’d lead the entire league in tackles in just his second campaign, recording a combined 144 takedowns. Martinez followed that standout year with 144 tackles in 2018 and 155 in 2019.
The 6-foot-2, 237-pound defender then signed a three-year, $30 million pact with the New York Giants in 2020. He was released after just two of those years.
Las Vegas came calling soon after, as Martinez signed on to the Raiders’ practice squad in October of 2022. He appeared in four games that season before announcing his retirement.
