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Former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale is finalizing a deal with the New York Giants to become their next defensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Martindale was fired by the Ravens on January 21 after a lackluster defensive season in Baltimore, with Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald coming in as his replacement.
Now, the 58-year-old is set to coach for the fourth team of his career after stints with the then-Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos before his 10 years in Baltimore. Martindale will coordinate the Giants defense under newly-hired head coach Brian Daboll, with the offense run by ex-Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Mike Kafka, per Heavy’s Vinny Somma.
Martindale finding a new job within a month of his firing is no surprise; Schefter tweeted that he was “expected to be one of the hottest assistant hires out there” when he parted ways with the Ravens in January.
He interviewed twice with the Giants, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but also drew some interest from the Minnesota Vikings for their vacant defensive coordinator position after tapping Los Angles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell to become their new head coach.
Martindale has been linked with the Giants before; he interviewed for the head coaching position in 2019, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He was again mentioned as “a name to consider re-visiting” by Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager after the Giants interviewed Ravens head of personnel Joe Hortiz for their open general manager job earlier in January.
The Giants ended up going with Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen for that position, but they came back to Martindale to shape up a defense that struggled to slow down opponents last year, though New York’s league-worst offense certainly didn’t help matters. He’ll likely look to build around the Giants’ talented interior pass-rushers, Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, both of whom generated more than 40 quarterback pressures in 2021, per Pro Football Focus. Martindale will also want to help 2021 second-rounder Azeez Ojulari build off a promising rookie season that also yielded more than 40 pressures, as well as eight sacks.
Ravens To Face Martindale in 2022
Baltimore will face their former defensive coordinator in right away, as the Ravens are set to visit the Giants during the 2022 season. In fact, the Ravens will play two games at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, as they will also be playing an away game against the New York Jets.
The matchup with the Giants will be especially interesting with Martindale bringing Ravens outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins with him from Baltimore, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, who also confirmed Martindale’s hiring.
The Ravens won their last matchup with the Giants in 2020, holding New York to just 54 rushing yards while Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards combined for almost 250 yards on the ground. Jackson also added 183 yards and two touchdowns through the air while completing almost 70% of his passes, per Pro Football Reference.
Report: Vikings Interviewed Ravens Assistant
With Martindale off the market, the Vikings will have to turn to other options at defensive coordinator, including current Ravens defensive line coach and run game coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Weaver has already interviewed with the Vikings, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, after missing out on jobs with the Broncos and the Ravens. He would be a good candidate to turn around a Minnesota defense that allowed the seventh-most rushing yards in 2021.
The 41-year-old Weaver has only been in Baltimore for one season, but the Ravens led the league in rushing defense, allowing just 84.5 yards per game despite playing Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb and Najee Harris twice each during the season.
Per ESPN’s Matt Miller, Weaver shares an agent with the Vikings’ new head coach, Kevin O’Connwll, so he’s considered to be a favorite for the job alongside Detroit Lions defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant.
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