Ruvell Martin: Favre and Rodgers’ Exclusive Receiving Club

Ruvell Martin, wide receiver’s first NFL touchdown, came from an unexpected play. Nineteen years ago, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was supposed to connect with wide receiver Greg Jennings. Martin’s job was to run a deep route to clear the zone and open the way for Jennings. However, the San Francisco 49ers cornerback didn’t bite, leaving Martin completely alone on the left sideline. Jennings, realizing the mistake, signaled to Favre to throw towards Martin, who was heading to the end zone. Favre adjusted and threw a 36-yard pass that Martin caught, thus achieving his first touchdown in the NFL and the first points in the Packers’ 30-19 victory against the 49ers in week 13 of 2006.

Martin was so open. What happened was Greg Jennings was indicating to him that he was completely alone. I’ve never seen a player running down the field pointing to a teammate who was completely alone.

Brett Favre

Two years later, Martin scored another touchdown at a less significant moment for the Packers, in the fourth quarter of a 51-29 loss to the New Orleans Saints in week 12. With that score, Martin entered a very exclusive club, securing his only touchdown with Aaron Rodgers, on a 4-yard pass.

It was a meaningless touchdown because we were losing by three scores, at least at that moment. But I love Ru. He was my teammate on the practice squad for three years… One of my favorite teammates of all time.

Aaron Rodgers

Almost two decades later, Martin is one of six players who have received touchdown passes from both Favre and Rodgers. Despite his seven-year NFL career, after playing at Saginaw Valley State (Division II), NFL Europe and the practice squad, Martin is the most unexpected member of that select group. Rodgers, who recently signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers and has 507 career touchdowns, is about to surpass Favre’s record of 508, which places him in fourth place among the NFL’s all-time leaders. Only Jennings, James Jones, Donald Driver, Donald Lee, Brandon Jackson, and Martin know what it’s like to catch a touchdown pass from these Packers legends.

Martin, who joined the Packers as a practice squad receiver in Rodgers’ rookie season in November 2005, witnessed the end of the Favre era and the beginning of Rodgers’. Although he couldn’t predict that Rodgers would surpass Favre in touchdowns, Martin saw Rodgers lay the groundwork for greatness. During Martin’s three years in Green Bay, he was Rodgers’ primary target during practices and pre-game warmups. Off the field, the then-unknown backup quarterback and receiver spent time together.

Martin remembers a determined Rodgers fighting to prove his worth even in the most mundane circumstances. During pre-game, Martin always stood next to Favre and in front of Rodgers to catch Rodgers’ warm-up passes before throwing the ball to Favre for the veteran quarterback to throw to his own receiver. While Favre put a soft touch on the ball, Rodgers threw his passes to Martin, leaving his hands raw and red after the warm-ups. When the fanbase began to panic after Favre’s retirement after the 2007 season, Martin knew what the Packers had in Rodgers, after having spent hours on the practice squad with him. Martin left Green Bay and signed with the Rams before the 2009 season. When he returned to Green Bay for a charity golf tournament in 2011, he was surprised to see how much things had changed. He was no longer anonymous after winning the Super Bowl, Rodgers was receiving the same treatment that Martin had seen Favre receive at the end of his career. Martin, who returned to Green Bay as an assistant for two seasons through a training scholarship from 2020 to 2021, finished his NFL career with five touchdown passes from Favre and only one from Rodgers, something Martin still can’t quite believe because he spent a lot of time developing chemistry with Rodgers. And when the two finally made their only connection in the game, it happened at the end of the loss to the Saints, which dampened his celebration.