The Pittsburgh Steelers made two significant signings this week, adding Myles Jack to their practice squad on Monday and then signing Blake Martinez off the Panthers practice squad on Tuesday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Martinez had initially signed with the Panthers earlier in the month after coming out of retirement. The linebacker had announced his retirement while playing for the Raiders in November 2022 in order to focus on a Pokemon trading card business. However, Martinez returned to football after being banned from selling cards on a popular online marketplace.
Before his brief retirement, Martinez played in four games for the Raiders in 2022 and three games for the Giants in 2021, during which he tore his ACL. Over the course of five previous seasons with the Packers and Giants, Martinez participated in 77 games and accumulated impressive stats including 706 tackles, 13 sacks, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.