It appears that Don ‘Wink’ Martindale's tenure in the Meadowlands isn’t done yet.
It appears that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s tenure with the New York Giants hasn’t ended, despite reports of his expected resignation.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday that the Giants haven’t begun a search for a new defensive coordinator and have no plans to do so currently. Instead, the franchise is seeking to come to some middle ground on keeping Martindale in his position.
Wednesday’s news comes somewhat as a surprise after Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported Tuesday that Martindale was infuriated with head coach Brian Daboll’s choice to fire outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and his brother, defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins.
Schwartz wrote that Martindale “cursed out Daboll, said his piece, got up, slammed the door and walked out of the building” due to Daboll’s decision to part ways with the Wilkins brothers.
Despite Tuesday’s reported fiasco, Martindale has yet to officially inform the Giants about his future with the franchise. Currently, he is still under contract for the 2024 season for a $3 million salary.
Meanwhile, the #Giants have not begun a search for a new defensive coordinator and don't plan to do so as of right now, sources say. They want Wink Martindale to be their DC unless and until he resigns. So the standoff continues.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 10, 2024
However, if Martindale resigns from the franchise, he will forfeit the money he is slated to make next season. Walking out on his contract would also give the Giants the capability to prevent him from taking another job with another team.
As of now, despite the tension between Daboll and Martindale, the Giants are hoping to keep Martindale as their defensive coordinator “unless and until he resigns”, per Garafolo.
Martindale finished his second season as the franchise’s defensive coordinator which included a Giants’ 27–10 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18, giving New York a 6–11 record for the ’23 campaign.
