Former Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez may have transferred out of Lincoln at the end of his college football career, but it’s clear the Huskers and the state have always held a special place for him. That was clear when he came back to Lincoln to briefly work for the University while he was weighing his football future.
Now he’s back in the state again as he prepares for the 2026 NFL season. Martinez isn’t alone either. He’s working out with another quarterback who has ties to Nebraska, even if he doesn’t have ties to the Cornhuskers. Former North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in this spring’s NFL Draft, but as an Omaha Westside alum, he’ll still call Omaha home in the offseason.
The two NFL quarterbacks are working out together in Nebraska while they wait to get called to NFL Training camps in the very near future. Both quarterbacks, according to Mitch Sherman of The Athletic, have been working out on the Gretna East campus. Needless to say, that’s been a dream come true for the high school football players who have had the opportunity to catch passes from the pair of NFL QBs.
Before the workouts, Martinez spoke to the players at Gretna East about his experiences in dealing with injuries and other adversity. He stood on a stage in the high school theater and captured the kids' attention. Gretna East head coach Justin Haberman said that what Martinez said struck a chord, especially because he’s had to scrap and fight for a spot on professional rosters.
Adrian Martinez and Cole Payton train together in Nebraska before NFL camps
Since that speech, Martinez and Payton have worked out several times with the same players. They throw to Haberman’s receivers, and it’s not just a fun activity for the youngters. The quarterbacks explain the purpose of drills for the high school coaches and players to absorb. They’ve also trained at Payton’s alma mater.
“I’m not asking a high school kid to run a 10- to 12-yard out at the same pace as Mike Evans,” Martinez told Sherman. “But I think they enjoy catching NFL balls. There are a lot of kids here who want to play at the next level. It’s cool to integrate myself into that.”
Neither Payton nor Martinez is guaranteed an NFL roster spot once the regular season begins. While the former NDSU quarterback got a four-year contract from the Eagles, he still has to prove he deserves to stick around.
Martinez has bounced around the NFL plenty already. He’s mostly spent time on practice squads, though he did get close to game time last year with the San Francisco 49ers due to several QB injuries.
Martinez enters camp this month in Santa Clara, Calif., competing for a spot on that team’s roster again. Second-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke is healthy after missing much of 2025 with a knee injury. He was a seventh-round draft pick last year out of Indiana. Brock Purdy and Mac Jones return, too.
That likely means the former four-year starting quarterback for Nebraska will need to beat out the former Hoosier for third string.
Both quarterbacks certainly hope that their work together this summer in Nebraska can lead to success in the NFL this fall.
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