Raiders Linebacker Announces Surprise Retirement

The Las Vegas Raiders are having a very strange, tough Thursday this week, with both Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller added to the Injured Reserve list, and now, to the surprise of everyone, veteran linebacker Blake Martinez has announced his sudden, shock retirement from the NFL. 

Congrats on your retirement, @big__blake50! And good luck on your new journey. ☠️ pic.twitter.com/GeNF5Ej3H6

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 10, 2022

The seven year veteran spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers, before moving onto the New York Giants and eventually the Raiders this year, where it was expected the 28-year old could be a veteran leader for this defence going forward. Unfortunately, things didn't work out, and after seven years in the league, Martinez has decided to officially move on, which is even more understandable when you think about the injuries he's dealt with.

Over the course of his career, Martinez accumulated 617 tackles, 13 sacks, 22 passes defended, 4 Interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries, and although he never turned into the superstar some expected, the former fourth-round pick had a solid career at the NFL level.

Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK