Former Husker Adrian Martinez Contributes to ‘Sloppy’ Play; Jets Drop Preseason Game to Giants

Adrian Martinez could not pull the New York Jets out of the muck in his second preseason game of the 2025 season on Saturday.

The former Nebraska quarterback failed to lead the Jets to a second win in the preseason, falling to the New York Giants on Saturday 31-12 Saturday night at MetLife Stadium. The loss dropped the Jets to 1-1 in the preseason after a 30-10 road victory at Green Bay a week ago. Martinez finished Saturday's game, going 12-of-21 passing for 114 yards and an interception.

Martinez failed to lead a touchdown drive, but did connect on two third-down passes to rookie receiver Arian Smith for 23 and 16 yards to set up the Jets' second field goal of the contest. The backup signal caller entered the contest in relief of starter Justin Fields, but forced a throw on the run to tight end Stone Smartt and tossed an interception to Giants' safety Makari Paige.

New York Jets quarterback Adrian Martinez (15) passes against the New York Giants during the firstb half at MetLife Stadium. — Adrian Martinez throws a pass during Saturday night's game against the Giants. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Martinez led the New York Jets in passing yards, passes completed, and passes attempted in the contest. He was out-dueled by Mississippi rookie quarterback and Giants' first-round pick Jaxson Dart, who ended 14-of-16 passing for 137 yards and a touchdown. Dart set up the Giants early with a 71-yard second-half opening scoring drive with his touchdown pass to Greg Dulcich, then later added a rushing score off a quarterback sneak.

Fields failed to impress in two run-heavy series for the Jets, only scoring a 38-yard field goal with the offensive starters in the first series of the contest. The quarterback rushed once for five yards and went 1-of-5 passing.

"We were sloppy, and the guys know that," New York Jets first-year coach Aaron Glenn said. “Overall, in general, it wasn’t good enough. I don’t care if it was the starting offense, I don’t care if it was the second-team offense, the third-team offense.”

New York Jets quarterback Adrian Martinez (15) participates in a drill during training camp — Adrian Martinez participates in a drill during training camp last month. | John Jones-Imagn Images

Unlike his Green Bay performance, Martinez was the second quarterback to enter the contest ahead of undrafted quarterback Brady Cook. Cook threw a touchdown pass late in the contest and finished 6-of-11 passing for 74 yards. Both Martinez and Cook failed to garner any rushing stats, despite the former Husker being known as a rushing threat. Martinez has gained only 13 rushing yards through two preseason games.

Martinez elected to return to New York and signed a reserve/future contract on Jan. 6. Martinez was a key cog to the 2024 Jets' preseason roster, throwing for 270 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Martinez has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game since being signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions in 2023.

Martinez gained professional football fame and fandom during his 2024 tenure in the United Football League. The quarterback led the Birmingham Stallions to the UFL Championship game following an All-UFL season, going 6-1 overall as a starter while completing 59 percent of his passes with 1,748 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, and three interceptions. Martinez was a threat rushing the football, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry while adding three scores. The quarterback was also named the 2024 UFL Championship MVP.

New York Jets Practice Squad Quarterback Adrian Martinez (15) during a practice session — Adrian Martinez during a 2024 practice. | Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

Martinez was a team captain for the Huskers in three of his four seasons in Lincoln before finishing his collegiate career at Kansas State. As the primary starter under coach Scott Frost from 2018-21, Martinez finished as the Huskers' career leader in total offensive yards (10,792), total offensive yards per game (276.7), career 300-yard total offensive games (19), career 400-yard total offensive games (5), and career 250-yard passing games (16).

During the 2024 preseason, Martinez helped lead the Jets to an unbeaten three-win run with victories over the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders. Martinez competed with Andrew Peasley throughout the 2024 preseason as the Jets' third-string quarterback behind starter Aaron Rodgers and backup Tyrod Taylor. The former Husker beat out Peasley, as the Wyoming product was waived and not re-signed by the Jets. The Jets elevated their second-year quarterback when Rodgers was dealing with knee soreness prior to a Week Five matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in London.

The Jets will wrap up their final preseason game Friday, hosting the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The final National Football League roster cuts are set for Aug. 26. All franchises will reduce their maximum rosters to a 53-player active/inactive list.

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