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.
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Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Blake Martinez has retired from the NFL after selling a rare Pokémon card for $672,000.
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) November 19, 2022
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.
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.”
View this post on Instagram
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.
