Why 2 NFL QB hopefuls are pushing each other in Omaha ahead of training camp

OMAHA, Neb. — Five years ago this fall, Adrian Martinez played his final game in a Nebraska football uniform. Much has since changed for the quarterback from California, who won a Big 12 championship at Kansas State in 2022 and starred in the United Football League around his time with three NFL teams. The San Francisco 49ers activated Martinez from the practice squad for six weeks last season as the backup to Mac Jones while Brock Purdy managed an injury. Martinez re-signed in January with the Niners. He’s back in Nebraska now. Martinez is working in the lead-up to training camp alongside rookie quarterback Cole Payton of the Philadelphia Eagles, a fifth-round pick out of North Dakota State. Martinez and Payton throw three times a week to eager high school and college receivers under the direction of QB trainer John Teigland. Two NFL quarterbacks stand out here against the backdrop of summer in suburbia. “It’s simpler than it’s made out to be sometimes,” Martinez said. “You go lift weights, run, throw, study, prepare. Omaha is as good a place as any for that.” Martinez married a Nebraskan last summer. He and his wife, Marisa, settled in the Omaha area, and he made an effort this year to give back. Martinez recently spoke to the football players at Gretna East High about his experiences in dealing with injuries and other adversity. He stood on a stage in the high school theater and captured the attention of the kids. “They were dialed in and focused,” Gretna East coach Justin Haberman said. “He was electric. The best thing is, he related to the kids, because he went through struggles.” Martinez refused to take payment. He fielded questions and dodged nothing, Haberman said, handling every answer with class. In 2021 and throughout his career at Nebraska, Martinez endured criticism from fans and media members who did not know the extent of his injuries. He played much of that final season with a broken jaw. He left the school after four years as a starter with a school-record 10,792 yards of total offense. He and Payton have worked out several times at Gretna East this summer. They throw to Haberman’s receivers, explaining the purpose of drills for the high school coaches and players to absorb. On Tuesday afternoon this week, they trained in the heat on the turf at Omaha Westside, Payton’s alma mater. “I’m not asking a high school kid to run a 10- to 12-yard out at the same pace as Mike Evans,” Martinez said. “But I think they enjoy catching NFL balls. There are a lot of kids here who want to play at the next level. It’s cool to integrate myself into that.” His pairing with Payton just made sense, Martinez said. Payton won two FCS national championships at North Dakota State and led the Bison to a perfect regular season last year. He was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Payton recently returned from Orlando, Fla., and a series of throwing sessions with Jalen Hurts, who organized the trip for the Eagles’ quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends. He leaves again next week for camp in Philadelphia. He’ll take Martinez’s wisdom with him. Martinez shared his knowledge from a pro career he began as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions in 2023. The Lions cut Martinez in August of that year. Birmingham of the UFL signed him. He was named MVP of the league championship in June 2024 and signed with the New York Jets in July 2024. Martinez stuck on the Jets’ practice squad in 2024. San Francisco signed him early last season. He finally made his NFL debut in Week 9 against the New York Giants after Jones subbed himself out in the final seconds of a 34-24 win. “He’s been doing it the hard way,” Payton said. “It hasn’t been easy. That’s what he brings.” Payton, 6 feet 3 and 230 pounds, looks to follow former NDSU quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Trey Lance, Easton Stick (another Omahan) and Cam Miller to an NFL career. The Eagles signed Payton to a four-year, $4.6 million rookie deal, but he must make the team to get paid. Hurts and Andy Dalton are the veteran quarterbacks in Philly, along with third-year pro Tanner McKee out of Stanford. “What I’ve learned is that I belong,” Payton said. “I was able to train with some big names, go to the Senior Bowl, go to the combine. That gave me a lot of confidence. I know I can do it better than a lot of those guys.” “Being a quarterback in the NFL is a unique experience,” Martinez said. “Anything that I can impart on him, I definitely will. But I think he’s got a pretty good grip on things. He’s very accomplished. It’s more about him pushing me.” Martinez enters camp this month in Santa Clara, Calif., competing for a spot on a roster, too. Second-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke is healthy after missing much of 2025 with a knee injury. He was a seventh-round draft pick last year out of Indiana. Purdy and Jones return, too. The Niners figure to keep Rourke or Martinez behind the top two. A home base in Omaha — and the relationships Martinez has established — have helped keep him grounded amid the NFL pressure. “It’s cliche, but get comfortable being uncomfortable,” he said. “I’ve had plenty of quarterback battles and competitions throughout my career. There’s the understanding that every year, you’re going to fight. If you want to be in this thing, you have to work. You have to be willing to compete and be willing to fail and learn and understand it’s a process. It’s not about surviving the first day of training camp. It’s the collective effort that will get you over the hump.”