The UFL Championship game went down this past weekend and the Birmingham Stallions picked up their third title in a row in dominant fashion with a 25-0 win over the San Antonio Brahmas. It was quarterback and league MVP Adrian Martinez who led the way with with an impressive performance that saw him throw for a touchdown and run in another two. Good enough to win the games MVP award.
A tremendous year for Martinez who spent last summer trying to make the Detroit Lions 53-man roster. Martinez didn’t get a lot of chances, especially after the team signed Teddy Bridgewater, but he did impress when he was on the field in the preseason. He led this pretty solid drive against the Giants and scored the game winning touchdown.
Now the question is, should the Lions consider bringing him back this summer to fight for a spot on the roster or the squad? The answer is yes. If they can that is.
Martinez wrapped up a really good season for the Stallions that saw him not only be one of the leagues best passers, but also the leagues leading rusher. He was incredibly elusive all year long and it’s hard to not see multiple teams looking to have him on their roster.
There’s not a shot that he could start anywhere because there’s still questions about his arm and his accuracy, but he has a chance to potentially be a premium backup in the NFL with time and experience. The Lions could be the team that stakes their claim with him by bringing him back to a familiar territory.
While the team does have Nate Sudfeld on their roster right now, that spot doesn’t seem totally safe for him and the Lions have been known to have up to four quarterbacks on the roster in the preseason. They had four in the building during the season last year with Goff, Bridgewater, Hooker and Blough.
Being that Martinez is still so young at 24-years-old, it’s worth taking a shot at seeing what he can be during the preseason. If it doesn’t work out, you just move on. But if it does, then you have a third option that you can work on over time and who knows what the future looks like?
The likelihood is that the Lions don’t even get the shot to sign him. He will be on an NFL roster in 2024. It’s not a question of if, it’s all about who.