The San Francisco 49ers made a handful of roster moves on Tuesday, among them being the release of former New York Jets quarterback Adrian Martinez, per KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson.
Martinez had been the third-string quarterback behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, but was released to make way for seventh-round rookie Kurtis Rourke.
Rourke was supposed to be the University of Indiana’s starting quarterback for the 2024 season, before an ACL tear in fall camp robbed him of his senior season.
With the rookie ready to practice, Martinez was cut loose, and now the 25-year-old could find himself back with the team he spent training camp with.
The Jets Need Quarterback Depth
The New York Jets are in desperate need of bodies at the quarterback position.
Entering their Week 14 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, New York was already down a trigger man.
Justin Fields reported knee soreness early in the week and was ruled out ahead of the Dolphins game.
Then, after six plays, veteran Tyrod Taylor was forced out of the game due to a groin injury, paving the way for undrafted free agent rookie quarterback Brady Cook to get his first taste of NFL action.
With no other quarterbacks on the roster, the Jets were in a precarious situation, especially with Cook coming in and out of the blue medical tent throughout the game.
Had he gotten hurt, we likely would’ve seen Breece Hall running wildcat for the remainder of the game.
The quarterback injuries are starting to pile up, and depending on the injury status of their two veterans, they may need to sign one ahead of their Week 15 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Martinez may be the right guy for the job in that regard, as he already has some level of familiarity with the Jets offense.
We’ll see if head coach Aaron Glenn decides to show his hand at his Wednesday media availability, but considering his track record this season, we may not know what the quarterback deal is until the weekend.
Adrian Martinez’s Path to the NFL
Martinez spent his college years at Nebraska and Kansas State, where he put up a 20-27 record as a starter, along with 51 touchdowns and 31 interceptions.
He wasn’t selected in the 2023 NFL Draft and signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in May of the same year.
Martinez was waived by Detroit ahead of their 53-man cutdown and signed with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions.
It turned out to be the best move possible for Martinez, as he went on to win league MVP for his 1750 yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions season. He even showed off his athleticism with 530 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Following his UFL breakout, the New York Jets signed Martinez, and he ended up spending the entire 2024 season on the practice squad.
He stuck around for 2025 training camp, but was waived in favor of keeping Cook as the No. 3 quarterback.
In late August, Martinez signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent the next four months serving as the third-string quarterback, and even a stretch as the No. 2 when Purdy was out with injury.
If the Jets are looking for an extra arm while their veteran quarterbacks recover, Martinez would not be a bad option given his familiarity with the team.
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