Martin R. Mayhew

Martin R. Mayhew is a former cornerback and front office executive in the  National Football League (NFL).  

Mayhew was born in Daytona Beach, Florida. He grew up in Tallahassee,  Florida and attended Florida High School prior to attending Florida State  University from 1983 to 1987, where he played cornerback for the  Seminoles. He was also a member of the FSU Track and Field team in  1986 and 1987. Mayhew was named an Academic All-America in 1985 and  also made the All-South Independent second-team in 1985. He graduated  with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management in 1987. 

Mayhew was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 10th round of the 1988  NFL draft. He signed with the Washington Redskins a year later and was a  starter during the 1991 season when the team won Super Bowl XXVI.  Mayhew also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1993 – 1996  before retiring following the 1996 season.  

Following his playing career, Mayhew attended the Georgetown University  Law Center and graduated with a JD degree in 2000. He worked as an  administrator for the XFL that same year before joining the Detroit Lions in  2001, where he worked in various roles prior to being promoted to General  Manager in 2008. He remained in that role until 2015, later serving in senior  executive roles with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and  Washington Commanders before retiring in 2025. 

During Mayhew’s tenure as Lions general manager, he was responsible for  the draft selections of Pro Bowlers QB Matthew Stafford, DT Ndamukong  Suh, DC Darius Slay, DE Ezekiel Ansah, DS Quandre Diggs, TE Eric  Ebron, OG Laken Tomlinson, and OLB Kyle Van Noy. Mayhew was also  responsible for signing WR Golden Tate and S Glover Quin in free agency,  both of whom went on to earn Pro Bowl honors with the Lions. 

Mayhew currently resides in Jupiter, FL. His daughter Sierra is a fashion  editor for fashion blog @whowhatwear. His son Ryan is a recruiting  program assistant at The Ohio State University. His youngest son Justin is  a freshman at Michigan State University.