Taking part in within the NFL is hard and plenty of gamers depart due to career-ending accidents or unhealthy seasons. However after seven years within the league, Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Blake Martinez has retired mid-season for a unique motive: He’s making sufficient cash promoting Pokémon playing cards—not too long ago promoting a really uncommon card for almost $700,000—and doesn’t want the earnings he will get from enjoying anymore.
Las Vegas Raiders participant Blake Martinez shocked many followers when he introduced final week that he was retiring from the NFL on the comparatively younger age of 28. He was first drafted by the Inexperienced Bay Packers in 2016. Following 4 years with Inexperienced Bay, he joined the New York Giants in 2020 earlier than struggling a torn ACL in 2021. He was launched shortly after, and joined the Las Vegas Raiders the place he appeared to be doing nicely this season. In his final sport earlier than his retirement, he racked up 11 tackles. Nonetheless, promoting Pokémon playing cards seems to be Martinez’s true ardour—to not point out a reasonably good supply of earnings for him—and he’s focusing extra on that now.
As reported by Dexerto, two weeks earlier than saying his retirement mid-season, the NFL professional offered an especially uncommon and invaluable Pokémon Illustrator card for a hefty sum. Final month, the cardboard was graded a 9.5 “Gem Mint” high quality ranking, making it among the finest examples of this coveted card. On October 29 the cardboard—which Martinez nicknamed “The Swirllustrator” due to two small swirl marks within the card’s paintings—was sold via Goldin auctions for a whopping $672,000.
Sure, this is identical sort of uncommon card that Logan Paul paid over $5 million for earlier this 12 months and wore round his neck throughout Wrestlemania in April, though his was graded a ten, or excellent high quality.
G/O Media could get a fee
Learn Extra: The High 12 Most Worthwhile Pokémon Playing cards In Historical past
Nonetheless, this can be a massive sale, and hardly Martinez’s first time shopping for and promoting Pokémon playing cards. The previous NFL participant is a giant fan of the playing cards and has been amassing them for years, although in 2020, within the midst of the pandemic, his love for amassing and promoting was reignited. He opens previous and new card packs on his Instagram and shares his finds on-line ceaselessly. Actually, Martinez claims to have discovered the uncommon “Swirllustrator” throughout one in all these pack openings. The professional participant additionally has a collectible card enterprise, shopping for and promoting uncommon playing cards on-line.
“I’ve chosen to step away from this profession right now to give attention to my household and future passions,” defined Martinez in his retirement put up on Instagram. It seems his “ardour” is utilizing the wealth he made within the NFL to purchase and promote uncommon Pokémon playing cards. And actually, I’m completely happy for the man. He’s far much less more likely to undergo a horrible concussion whereas shopping for uncommon Pikachu playing cards on-line.
