After Selling Rare Pokemon Card For $672,000, NFL Linebacker Blake Martinez Announces Retirement At 28 Years Of Age

Suyash Deep Sinha | 22/11/2022
Blake Martinez

While some stay active in the NFL even in their late 40s, many take a conservative approach and follow a well-written retirement plan. Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Blake Martinez certainly belongs to the second category. He recently decided to announce his retirement mid-season.

Blake shocked many fans last week when he announced his retirement from the NFL at the relatively young age of 28. In 2016, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.

When asked why he retired, he stated that he doesn’t need the money he gets from playing because he makes enough money selling Pokémon cards. In fact, he recently sold a very rare Pokémon card for nearly $700,000.

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Blake Martinez & The Pokémon Card Story

Martinez is now concentrating more on selling Pokémon cards, which appears to be his true passion and a good source of income. He announced his retirement in a post on Instagram, saying, “I have chosen to step away from this career at this time to focus on my family and future passions.”

The NFL player made a sizable profit from the sale of a highly coveted and valuable Pokémon Illustrator card two weeks before announcing his midseason retirement.

The card received a 9.5 “Gem Mint” quality rating last month, making it among the best examples of this sought-after card. Due to two tiny swirl marks in the card’s artwork, Martinez dubbed the card “The Swirllustrator” and it was sold via Goldin auctions on October 29 for an astounding $670,000.

Yes, despite having a grade of 10, or perfect quality, Logan Paul’s rare card was the same kind that he paid over $5 million for earlier this year which he wore around his neck during Wrestlemania in April.

In fact, Martinez asserts that one of these pack openings yielded the elusive “Swirllustrator.” The professional player also operates an online collectible card shop where he buys and sells rare cards.

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Post Edited By: Shubham Bhargav
Blake Martinez Blake Martinez Retirement Las Vegas Raiders NFL

About the author

Suyash Deep Sinha

Suyash Deep Sinha is an NFL writer and sports enthusiast who is always watching and thinking about sports, particularly NFL and cricket. He began watching NFL in high school and became interested after learning that several WWE superstars are somehow connected to NFL. He is also a theatre actor, writer, and movie buff who enjoys trekking and dancing and is a proactive person. He enjoys horseback riding and cooking in his spare time. Reading is also one of his favorite pastimes.

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