The Seattle Seahawks have a banged up quarterback room, and unlike the last time Sam Darnold was injured, they are adding another player to the roster.

Prior to the start of Wednesday’s practice, the Seahawks signed former Nebraska and Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez, who was most recently with the San Francisco 49ers. This comes after Darnold was ruled out of Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals due to a quad injury, in addition to a cracked rib suffered in Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. Drew Lock is slated to start, but he’s dealing with a right elbow injury that caused him to miss the last two games, and therefore Martinez joins the practice squad as some insurance.

Advertisement

Martinez’s career highlight at the professional level was not in the NFL, but the UFL. As starting quarterback of the Birmingham Stallions, Martinez compiled a 6-1 record as a starter, throwing 15 touchdown passes and only 3 interceptions, while also rushing for over 500 yards and 3 more TDs. His performances earned him league MVP honors. In the 2024 UFL Championship against the San Antonio Brahmas, Martinez was named game MVP after throwing a touchdown to former Seahawks draft pick Gary Jennings Jr, while adding a couple of scores on the ground in a 25-0 victory.

If Lock is still limited due to his elbow injury, it’s more likely than not that Martinez will be a game day elevation against the Cardinals this Sunday.

Seattle also brought Jamie Sheriff back to the practice squad after his brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams. Wide receiver Malick Meiga and linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo were released to make room for Sheriff and Martinez.