A former Green Bay Packers linebacker has been released
News broke Thursday that the New York Giants released veteran linebacker, Blake Martinez. The Packers drafted Martinez in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He played for the Packers through the 2019 season before signing a three-year deal with the Giants in 2020.
Martinez only played three games in 2021 before sustaining a torn cruciate ligament injury. Even with Martinez taking a pay cut this offseason to come back, the Giants released the former Stanford Cardinal standout so they could add offensive lineman Tyre Phillips.
How Martinez has looked the past few years
Martinez started all 16 games for the Giants in 2020. During his time with the Giants, Martinez recorded 174 combined tackles, three sacks, one interception, and two forced fumbles. He looked impressive on the Giants’ defense in 2020, even though the Giants had a bad year. Because Martinez only played three games for the Giants in 2021, it’s hard to evaluate how he would have stacked up to his days with the Packers.
Should the Green Bay Packers re-sign Martinez?
Martinez was a stud when he played on the Packers’ defense. Martinez racked up 512 combined tackles in his four years with the team. He was the Packers leading tackler in multiple seasons. If he could play at that level, the Packers should look to see if they get him on their roster. Although one should be skeptical about how well Martinez can still play off the injury. With Thursday’s release, it appears that the Giants don’t think he can play at a high level now.
Even if the Green Bay Packers don’t re-sign Martinez, the linebacker unit should be fine. The Packers boast one of the best linebacker groups in the NFL. Martinez would be an excellent addition to help elevate the team in certain situations or if the Packers have injuries. But Martinez wouldn’t be the staple he used to be during his first go-round in Green Bay.
