Getty Don Martindale looks on during a Ravens game.
The Baltimore Ravens had a solid season in 2019, and their defense was one of the bright spots of this considering the work that was done on the field.
Now, as a result of that, defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale has cashed in huge. Over the weekend, the Ravens gave Martindale an extension which made him the highest paid defensive coordinator in the league. The news was revealed by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network over the weekend.
Sources: The #Ravens have signed defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale to a new 3-year contract making him the highest paid DC in the league. Richly deserved for a coach they believe will be a top head coach candidate next offseason.
Martindale oversaw a Baltimore defense which was near the top of the league in several statistical categories last season and took the lead in helping their offense along to an impressive run of games. Along with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Martindale formed a solid pairing for John Harbaugh which led to the Ravens being one of the best teams in the league most of last season.
Following the year, plenty of teams reached out to Martindale for head coaching interviews, but he was eventually passed over in the process, and will remain with the Ravens for at least another season.
It’s likely with another great year in 2020, Martindale will be one of the hottest coaching candidates next year. He doesn’t have to jump at the chance to take anything other than a job which truly interests and suits him, however, with this contract considered.
Don Martindale Career Biography
After growing up in Ohio, Martindale started on the long path to the NFL in 1986 starting his career at Defiance College as the defensive coordinator. He had worked as a truck driver and caught a break when he got to work closely with Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky from 2000-2003. After that, Martindale got his big break into the NFL, and managed to work with the Oakland Raiders as a linebacker coach, then bounce to the Denver Broncos where he did the same thing before taking over as defensive coordinator in 2010. The Ravens hired him to coach linebackers in 2012, and he did that until he took over as defensive coordinator in 2018.
At 56, Martindale has been a football lifer, and getting this status as the highest paid coordinator is certainly well earned.
Ravens 2019 Defensive Statistics
Baltimore’s defense was a top group in the league this season. They were rated the No. 3 defense in terms of total yards allowed (300.6), the No. 6 defense in terms of passing yards per-game (207.2), and the 5th ranked rush defense in the league with 93.4 yards per-game.
A key point? Baltimore also piled up 37 sacks on the season, with Matt Judon accounting for 9.5 in 2019. Obviously, the defense is solid as a whole and has plenty to like moving forward, but the team would have to find a suitable replacement for Judon somewhere considering his overall talent if he were to leave. That’s been rumored so far this offseason. In terms of the defensive backfield, the Ravens collected 13 total picks last season which was a solid number.
It’s nice to see the team building around a solid defensive back in the meantime, however. The mastermind of that was Martindale and he is sticking around on a new massive contract.
We’ll see if another team attempts to lure him away next offseason with a significant head coach offer. For now, he will be sticking around.