Compared to other former Nebraska quarterbacks especially, Adrian Martinez has had a heck of an NFL run. That run might not even be over officially, but it certainly seems like the ex-Husker’s best chance at sticking with an NFL team officially ended when the 49ers said no thank you on Saturday.
On Saturday afternoon, San Francisco officially released Martinez, 24 hours ahead of final cut day. Instead, the 49ers are going with former Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke as QB3 behind the starter Brock Purdy and his backup, Drake Maye.
Adding insult to injury and maybe making it clear that Martinez didn’t impress his NFL coaches much at all is the fact that San Fran didn’t see much of the guy they decided to keep. Rourke started the team's first preseason game and went 12-of-14 for 101 yards while rushing for 14 yards on three carries. He broke three ribs during the game, forcing his exit and sending him to the hospital. He hasn’t played or practiced since that first preseason game.
While Rourke is expected to return to practice this week, according to Yahoo! Sports, it’s not as though the team is familiar with him otherwise. Rourke was a new addition to the roster over the offseason. Reports out of 49ers camp were that Rourke and Martinez were in a true battle for the third quarterback job.
Former Nebraska football quarterback Adrian Martinez loses 49ers QB3 job to Kurtis Rourke
That’s not a great sign for the former Nebraska football star. While Rourke was limited to one preseason game, Martinez played in all three and played extensively. As it turns out, he might have played too much. He completed 36-of-68 passes for 346 yards with one touchdown, but he also had two interceptions. Perhaps most damning is that he didn’t show the same kind of threat on the ground he has in past attempts to make an NFL team.
This preseason, he did run for a touchdown, but only had 8 carries over three contests for 35 yards. It’s hard to convince an NFL team it needs you on the roster when you’re only completing 52% of your passes against opponents predominantly running out their second- and third-team defenders. For whatever reason, the Ex-Husker had his worst preseason yet, another reason he might be running out of NFL lives.
Martinez started his quest for the NFL in 2023 when he signed as a UDFA with the Detroit Lions. After a solid, if unspectacular training camp, he was eventually waived, three years exactly from today. He then tried his hand in the UFL with the Birmingham Stallions, where he impressed onlookers with an MVP season; the New York Jets signed him and gave him a shot to make the roster.
While Martinez was waived on August 27, 2024, he was signed to the practice squad, where he remained for the rest of the season. In January, the Jets signed the former Nebraska football star to a future/reserve contract in January of 2025, but released him at the end of training camp that summer.
On the same day he was cut by the Jets, the 49ers came calling and signed him to their practice squad. On October 2 last fall, Martinez made his first official NFL roster as he was promoted off the practice squad due to several quarterback injuries. He even saw some brief action in one NFL game but didn’t attempt a carry or a pass attempt.
On December 9, the 49ers released him, and he signed with the Jets a day later for a second time, but was released after just a week with the team. Just two days after he was released by the Jets for the second time, he was picked back up by the 49ers and once again placed on the practice squad. Now he's looking for a new team again.
All of this comes after four straight years as a starter for Nebraska during the Scott Frost era. While he was often an electric player for the Huskers, injuries, poor coaching, and a lack of talent around him kept him from developing into a top-tier quarterback. He spent his final year in college with Kansas State, sharing time under center.
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