Adrian Martinez Is Showing He Belongs: Jets’ Young QB Making Noise in a Crowded Quarterback Landscape

Adrian Martinez is carving out reps and attention with the New York Jets in preseason — a deep look at his progress, where he fits among veteran and fringe QBs, and what to watch next.

Quick takeaway

Adrian Martinez has quietly turned preseason and training-camp snaps into meaningful tape for the New York Jets, completing key third-down throws and showing the mobility and feel that made him a top UFL/college performer. In an NFL landscape crowded with veterans (Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew II, Nick Mullens), established backups (Bailey Zappe, Brandon Allen, Tim Boyle) and high-ceiling reclamation projects (Malik Willis, Sam Howell), Martinez’s present value is clear: he’s a reliable, athletic depth option who can win practice-field reps and step into game action when needed. Recent game clips and team highlights show Martinez moving the chains and connecting with younger receivers — a sign his NFL story is far from finished.

Background: who is Adrian Martinez and how did he get here?

Adrian Martinez’s football path is deliberately non-linear — Nebraska starter turned Kansas State transfer, then UFL MVP, then NFL hopeful. His college career showcased a dual-threat skillset: the arm to hit intermediate reads and the legs to create yards when protection collapsed. After college and a strong UFL stint (where he demonstrated rushing ability and leadership), Martinez bounced through the NFL margins, landing on practice squads before earning reserve/future and active roster opportunities. The Jets have used Martinez as an emergency option and developmental arm, and preseason reps this year have given him the chance to show composure in game-speed reps.

What we saw most recently: highlights and tape that matter

Two items give the clearest evidence that Martinez is trending upward:

Team highlight clips and in-game reps. The Jets’ official social feed posted Martinez’s third-down completion to rookie Arian Smith — a tidy, situational throw that converted a key yardage and appeared in highlight packages. Those short, clutch completions are the currency of NFL backup QBs.
Official logs and activity. Martinez appears on the 2025 NFL logs as an active roster QB with snaps in preseason and practice elevations — concrete signs teams view him as more than a camp arm. Those numbers are tracked by league stat pages and outlets like NFL.com and CBS Sports.

Bottom line: Martinez is creating content coaches can point to when the depth chart is evaluated — not just athletic flashes, but made plays in the moments that matter.

Where Martinez fits in the current QB delta: context across names you asked for

The modern NFL has multiple QB archetypes: veteran steady-hands, reclamation projects, journeyman fill-ins, and high-ceiling youngsters. Placing Martinez into that ecosystem explains his likely role this season.

Veteran/plug-and-play backups: Names like Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, Brandon Allen, Nick Mullens, Brett Rypien, Mike White, and Gardner Minshew II represent starters-for-a-week or experienced backups who reliably run a system. Their primary value is low variance. Martinez isn’t there yet — he’s still proving NFL-level processing — but his athleticism makes him closer to the “reclamation/bridge” category than a raw rookie. (Recent preseason and roster moves around these vets are tracked across team reports and depth-chart breakdowns.)
High-ceiling reclamation talents & developmental QBs: Malik Willis, Sam Howell, Kedon Slovis, Stone Smartt, Max Hurliman/Max Hurleman (note: verify spelling for surname variants), Nick Mullens (also vintage starter) — these are players whose profiles blend starting flashes with consistency questions. Martinez’s handling of pressure and mobility compares favorably with the athletic upside of this group, though he still lacks consistent NFL tape.
Practice-squad, emergency and camp QBs: Carter Bradley, Tim Boyle, Brett Rypien, Trenton Irwin (note: Irwin is a WR but included in your list), Stone Smartt — players who fill team camps and occasionally climb the depth chart. Carter Bradley’s recent signing to the 49ers illustrates how teams keep developmental bodies on hand; Martinez’s path mirrors this developmental circuit.

In short: Martinez profiles as a mobile, situational backup with upside — someone teams are comfortable elevating from the practice squad to active duty in a pinch.

Film room: what Martinez does well (and where he needs work)

Strengths

Third-down processing: The completion to Arian Smith highlights Martinez’s ability to find an outlet under pressure — a vital trait for backups asked to convert drives.
Pocket mobility: He escapes collapsing pockets and extends plays with his legs — not just scrambling but creating staged yardage. UFL tape and preseason reps show this.
Poise under pressure: Martinez has displayed calm in short-yardage, two-minute scenarios in practice and preseason, helping coaches trust him in game situations.

Areas to polish

Consistent deep accuracy: Martinez will need to tighten ball placement on downfield shots against NFL coverage; that’s often the decisive jump from college/UFL to the NFL level.
Reading complex coverages: While he shows pre-snap recognition, diagnosing disguised coverages quickly is an area where veteran backups currently have the edge.
Decision discipline: Avoiding risky throws late in the play and improving ball security under contact are the usual next steps.

If Martinez can refine these details, his ceiling is not just emergency fill-in, but a legitimate “trusted reserve” with spot-start upside.

How Martinez helps the Jets schematically

The Jets benefit from Martinez in several ways:

Preservation of game plan: A backup who can execute the short-to-intermediate passing game allows head coaches to keep the same offensive identity when the starter rests or gets hurt. Martinez’s accuracy on third-down throws is crucial here.
Package versatility: Martinez’s legs enable designed QB-runs or RPO (run-pass option) packages that create mismatches against linebackers — a valuable wrinkle late in games or in short-yardage situations. His UFL rushing numbers demonstrate that capability.
Developmental co-pilot: For young receivers (Arian Smith, Montrell Washington, Tyquan Thornton, Mecole Hardman in other teams) Martinez offers a live arm to practice timing and situational reps — accelerating receiver progression and contributing to special teams chemistry indirectly.

The ripple effect: where other names on your list matter

You provided a wide roster of names. Here’s how a few of them intersect with Martinez or the larger QB market:

Carter Bradley — a camp/undrafted QB who signed with the 49ers; his presence shows how teams keep developmental QBs on hand, exactly the pathway Martinez has taken.
Bailey Zappe, Gardner Minshew II, Jacoby Brissett, Nick Mullens, Tim Boyle, Brandon Allen — veteran backups whose continued availability shapes market value for players like Martinez; teams choose between experience and upside. Recent move trackers show Zappe and others moving across depth charts this offseason.
Malik Willis, Sam Howell, Kedon Slovis, Stone Smartt — these QBs are in a similar developmental conversation: high upside, questions over consistency. Martinez’s mobile profile compares favorably to many on this list.
Receivers & role players (Mecole Hardman, Tyquan Thornton, Montrell Washington, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Trenton Irwin, Jonathan Ward, Patrick Taylor Jr., Drake Stoops) — their presence on rosters matters to backups: the more reliable the receiving corps and run game, the easier it is for a backup to execute under pressure. Martinez’s connection to rookie Arian Smith (a target earlier) shows he can find playmakers.

What to watch next — specific short-term indicators

Preseason snaps & situational reps. More third-down, two-minute, and red-zone reps are the clearest signs Martinez is ascending on the depth chart. Coaches rarely give those unless they trust the QB.
Roster elevations. Tracking weekly practice-squad promotions or active-roster elevations (via team transactions pages) tells you if Martinez is truly the “next man up.” NFL.com and team sites publish those moves.
Coaches’ comments. Public praise or pointed assignments from the Jets’ staff — e.g., naming Martinez as the emergency or planned relief QB — is a weighty signal.

The realistic upside and the ceiling

Adrian Martinez is unlikely to be a long-term starter this season for a playoff team, but the realistic upside is tangible:

Short-term: Trusted multi-week backup who can hold the fort in relief, convert third downs, and lead short drives.
Mid-term: Spot starter in a quarterback-friendly matchup or due to injury; if he performs well in that window, a multi-game audition could open starting opportunities elsewhere.
Long-term: With refined accuracy and reads, Martinez could join the ranks of successful mid-career starters who broke through after practice-squad or UFL stints. That’s not an immediate projection, but the trajectory exists.

Closing — The bottom line on Adrian Martinez

Adrian Martinez’s recent preseason tape and team highlights show a quarterback who belongs in roster conversations. He’s not just a camp arm — he’s a live backup with mobility, situational acuity and a skill set that can be dialed up in critical moments. In a season where QB depth and in-season injuries are always a lurking variable, Martinez is exactly the kind of player teams want on the 53-man or practice squad: dependable, athletic and improving. If he continues to convert third-down throws and avoid critical mistakes, don’t be surprised if Martinez turns preseason reps into midseason relevance.