Adrian Martinez Bio
Adrian Martinez is an American professional football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, where he built a reputation as a dynamic dual-threat passer and runner. In 2024, he led the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League to a championship, earning league MVP, Championship Game MVP, and All-UFL honors along the way.
Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing around 220 pounds, Martinez has spent his professional career moving between practice squads, active rosters, and spring league stardom. He signed with the 49ers in late 2025 after short stints with the New York Jets and an earlier visit to San Francisco, continuing his pursuit of a long-term role in the NFL.
Early Life and Background
Adrian Martinez was born on January 7, 2000, in Hanford, California. He grew up in California’s Central Valley and attended Clovis West High School in Fresno, where he played both football and basketball. As a junior, he passed for 2,562 yards with 25 touchdowns and rushed for 1,462 yards with 14 touchdowns, earning Fresno Bee football player of the year honors.
His senior football season was cut short by a torn labrum suffered on the basketball court, but his junior production had already established him as a top collegiate recruit. Martinez was regarded as a four-star prospect and the seventh-highest-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 class by the 247Sports Composite. He originally committed to play at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Tennessee before ultimately choosing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Path to American Football
Martinez’s path to professional football began under the bright lights of Memorial Stadium, where first-year Nebraska head coach Scott Frost named him the starting quarterback for the 2018 season opener. That decision made him the first true freshman to begin a season as Nebraska’s starting quarterback. In his very first college game against Colorado, he threw for 187 yards and a touchdown while adding 117 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
A knee injury late in that debut cost him the next game, but he returned quickly and soon delivered his first career victory against Minnesota with 276 passing yards, three touchdowns through the air, and another on the ground in a 53–28 win. He closed his freshman year with 2,617 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, and 629 rushing yards with eight more scores on the ground, placing among the Big Ten’s top passers and earning repeated Freshman of the Week recognition.
Adrian Martinez Career
Early Career (2018–2021)
After a strong freshman season at Nebraska, Martinez entered his sophomore year in 2019 with Heisman Trophy buzz and high Big Ten expectations. The campaign instead unraveled, as Nebraska finished 5–7 and Martinez faced heavy criticism. The 2020 season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Martinez still produced 1,055 passing yards and 521 rushing yards across seven games, including a season-ending 255-yard passing and 181-yard rushing effort at Rutgers.
His senior season in 2021 brought a 3–9 Nebraska record, making the Huskers the first Division I team to lose nine games by single digits in a single year. He completed 189 of 306 passes for 2,867 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. On December 2, 2021, he entered the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining and committed to Kansas State two weeks later.
Kansas State Breakthrough (2022)
At Kansas State, Martinez split quarterback duties with Will Howard during the 2022 season and immediately flashed the rushing ability that had defined his career. He rushed for 148 yards and four touchdowns against Oklahoma and added 171 rushing yards and three scores against Texas Tech, anchoring a physical Wildcats offense.
Across the season, he recorded 1,261 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, and just one interception, while rushing 111 times for 627 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Wildcats finished 10–4 and captured a Big 12 Championship, giving Martinez a defining collegiate chapter and setting the stage for his professional opportunities.
Detroit Lions and New York Jets (2023–2025)
Martinez went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft and signed with the Detroit Lions as a free agent on May 12, 2023. He was waived on August 29 during final roster cuts, ending his first NFL chapter before the regular season began. On December 24, 2023, he joined the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL.
He later signed with the New York Jets on July 27, 2024, was waived during camp, re-signed to the practice squad, and then signed a reserve/future contract in January 2025 before being waived again in August. On December 10, 2025, he returned briefly to the Jets’ practice squad before being released five days later.
Birmingham Stallions Era (2024)
In his only UFL season, Martinez became the face of the Birmingham Stallions. In 10 appearances, he completed 134 passes for 1,750 yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 530 yards and three touchdowns on 54 carries, leading the league in rushing yards at his position. He was named to the 2024 All-UFL team on June 5 and earned league MVP honors on June 10.
On June 16, 2024, Martinez was named UFL Championship Game MVP after leading Birmingham to the 2024 UFL title, completing a spring-football resume that included team success, statistical dominance, and individual recognition.
San Francisco 49ers Era (2025)
Martinez signed with the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad on August 27, 2025, and was promoted to the active roster on October 2 after injuries to Brock Purdy and Mac Jones. He took his first NFL snap on November 2, kneeling for the final play of the Week 9 game against the New York Giants after Jones voluntarily subbed out, and he was waived on November 15 once Purdy returned.
The 49ers re-signed him to the practice squad on November 18, released him on December 9, and brought him back again on December 17, 2025. That most recent signing continues his effort to carve out a stable NFL role after a year of constant roster movement.
Driving Style and Strengths
Martinez is widely regarded as a dual-threat quarterback whose biggest strengths are mobility, designed runs, and extending plays outside the pocket. His college production included 10 rushing touchdowns at Kansas State in 2022 and another eight on the ground as a Nebraska freshman, evidence of a running threat that defenses must respect. He pairs that athleticism with accurate short-to-intermediate passing, as shown by a Big 12 Championship-winning 2022 season with only one interception.
Notable Events and Milestones
Signature moments include his first NFL snap for the 49ers in November 2025, his 2024 UFL Championship MVP performance for Birmingham, and a Big 12 Championship at Kansas State in 2022. He also became the first true freshman to start a season opener at quarterback for Nebraska, a milestone he reached under Scott Frost in 2018.
Adrian Martinez Career Wins
Martinez’s verified championship and award résumé is anchored by the 2024 UFL title with the Birmingham Stallions. He also captured the Big 12 Championship during his 2022 season at Kansas State and posted a notable first career college win against Minnesota in 2018. His NFL ledger currently centers on practice-squad work and a brief active-roster appearance rather than a full season of wins.
Birmingham Stallions Highlights
In 2024, Martinez started 10 games for Birmingham and led the club to the UFL Championship. He was named league MVP on June 10 and Championship Game MVP on June 16, and he paced the UFL in rushing yards at his position while making the All-UFL team. The performance marked his most decorated professional season to date.
Other Wins & Performances
His other verified headline performance came at Kansas State, where he shared snaps with Will Howard and helped the Wildcats to a 10–4 record and a Big 12 title in 2022. He recorded multi-touchdown rushing games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech, with 148 and 171 rushing yards respectively.
Adrian Martinez Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Adrian Martinez’s parents and siblings is limited in available verified sources, and specific family members have not been publicly identified in widely circulated profiles.
Personal Life
Verified details about Martinez’s marital status, spouse, and children are not publicly available in the sourced material. He continues to be active on social media through his verified X account, where he engages fans and shares updates from his professional journey.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NFL calendar has been a whirlwind for Adrian Martinez. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets in January, was waived in late August, joined the 49ers’ practice squad, and earned an active-roster promotion on October 2 during a stretch when both Brock Purdy and Mac Jones were sidelined. His first NFL action came in the Week 9 finale against the Giants, a small but symbolic milestone.
After being waived on November 15, he cycled back through the 49ers’ practice squad, was released on December 9, and was re-signed on December 17, keeping him within the organization. The pattern reflects a quarterback valued for his mobility and developmental upside, even as the 49ers continue to manage Purdy and Jones as their primary options.
Outlook for the rest of 2025 centers on staying ready as a practice-squad insurance policy with the possibility of another active-roster call-up if injuries resurface. With his UFL MVP résumé and dual-threat skill set, Martinez remains an intriguing developmental option for teams looking for mobile quarterback depth.