The San Francisco 49ers signed Brock Purdy to a lucrative contract extension earlier this offseason, so he will be under center for the 49ers for the foreseeable future. But what about the depth behind him?
Well, San Francisco added Mac Jones — a former first-round pick — to serve as Purdy’s backup, but the Niners recently picked up another intriguing quarterback: former UFL MVP Adrian Martinez.
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Martinez spent 2024 on the New York Jets’ practice squad before being waived before cutdown day, allowing the 49ers to scoop him up. But what is the reason for adding Martinez as their third signal-caller?
Well, Grant Cohn of On SI revealed that San Francisco has very unique plans for Martinez and will be using him in practice whenever it is preparing to face certain types of quarterbacks.
“The 49ers most likely signed Martinez to give their defense a different look when they face the scout team offense during the week,” Cohn wrote. “Martinez is the 49ers’ most mobile quarterback — he ran for 45 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards in college. He’s the opposite of Mac Jones, who’s a pocket passer.”
Cohn then went on to cite Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe as an example. While Sam Darnold is the Seahawks’ starter, they will probably use Milroe in some situations, and with the Niners preparing to face Seattle in Week 1, it would be nice to get a good look at a mobile quarterback.
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“And when the defense wants to prepare for Jalen Milroe, the backup quarterback of the Seahawks, who probably will get a few plays against the 49ers because he’s such a running threat, [Robert] Saleh can make Adrian Martinez the scout team quarterback,” Cohn added.
Martinez played his collegiate football at both Nebraska and Kansas State, and while he wasn’t exactly an elite passer, he did rack up 2,928 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns on the ground across five NCAA seasons.
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