At just 28, Martinez is supposed to be in the prime of his career. However, after apparently making enough money selling Pokemon cards, Martinez decided to call it quits right in the middle of the season after seven years in the NFL. Martinez was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2016, where he spent four years before he joined the New York Giants in 2020. After suffering a torn ACL a year into his tenure with the Giants, the team released him and he subsequently signed with his latest team, the Las Vegas Raiders. For all intents and purposes, Martinez’s season was going rather well as he had racked up 11 tackles before his surprise retirement. However, after recently selling a very rare Pokemon card for nearly $700,000, Martinez is now ready to pursue his less injury prone but an equally-lucrative passion. As Dexerto points out, Martinez sold a Pokemon Illustrator card holding a 9.5 “Gem Mint” quality rating for $672,000 via Goldin auctions. It’s the same card that Logan Paul reportedly paid over $5 million earlier this year and wore at WrestleMania 38. But, unlike Martinez’s “The Swirdllustrator”, Paul’s card was graded a 10, indicating a perfect quality rating. Having said that, more than half a million in a single sale is not a small feat. If nothing else, this should encourage Martinez to continue with his love for collecting and selecting rare cards. Speaking of, Martinez is a lifelong fan of Pokemon cards. He’s been open about his hobby for years but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic hit that he actively pursued it. Martinez often shares his finds on Instagram, even claiming that he found the “Swirllustrator” during one of the aforementioned pack openings. Now that he’s free of his contractual obligations with the NFL, the now-former NFL player can focus on buying and selling rare cards online. If we’re being honest, we’re actually happy for Martinez. As we mentioned, football is one of the world’s most dangerous sports, much more so if you’re an NFL linebacker. Going forward, Martinez doesn’t need to worry about getting injured or suffering from the long-term effects of multiple concussions as he buys and sells rare Pokemans cards online. Speaking of Pokemon, Ash Ketchum has finally achieved his lifelong dream of becoming the best Pokemon trainer in the world. Unfortunately, the performance issues of both Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on the Nintendo Switch had to sour that party.
