Veteran Raiders LB Retires, At Age 28, Following LV's Terrible Loss To Jacksonville
That bad of a loss for the Raiders, eh?
After seven seasons, veteran linebacker Blake Martinez announced his official retirement. Martinez delivered the news to his team, the Las Vegas Raiders, on Thursday in what was a surprising bit of info to drop midseason. And at the age of 28.
The veteran linebacker was a fourth-round pick in 2016 and posted four straight seasons of 100+ combined tackles. Martinez played for the Green Bay Packers for four years, then joined the New York Giants for two seasons. He ran into injury trouble in 2021 after suffering an ACL tear.
New York released Martinez in Sept. 2022, opening the door for Las Vegas to sign the tackling machine and shore up the middle of its porous defense. He last appeared for the Raiders on Sunday against Jacksonville, recording 11 tackles in the crushing LV loss.
(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
Martinez relayed the news on Instagram, announcing that he's looking forward to spending more time with his family after football.
"I’m announcing my retirement from the game of football!" Martinez captioned his post.
"I had an amazing journey with some incredible franchises, and made lifelong friendships. I have chosen to step away from this career at this time to focus on my family and future passions! I am excited for this new journey and appreciate all the fans and organizations that have supported me throughout the years!"