It goes without saying, but things did not end well between the NY Giants and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. Shortly after Brian Daboll fired outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins, Martindale cursed out Coach Dabes and slammed the door on his way out.
After a bit of a standoff, with Martindale leaving New Jersey to head to Florida, it was announced that the two sides mutually agreed to part ways. With that, Martindale is free to sign with a new team, but fans are worried he might join an NFC East rival. It's up in the air if that happens or not, but the first interview Wink has scheduled is with the Jacksonville Jaguars, per Albert Breer:
Ex-Giants and Ravens DC Wink Martindale is scheduled to interview for the Jaguars coordinator job on Tuesday and Wednesday, per source. His scheme is one a LOT of teams are interested in.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 13, 2024
Wink Martindale is all set to interview with the Jaguars next week
Come Tuesday, Martindale will begin his interview with the Jags to see if it's a good fit. Depending on how things go in the postseason this weekend and next, more DC openings could pop up. Don't forget that Martindale is also dreaming of a head coach opportunity, so don't rule out a HC interview either.
Having said that, Jacksonville is clearly interested in Martindale and him making a full-time move to Florida could be something of interest for the veteran defensive coordinator. The writing was on the wall for a divorce between Martindale and the Giants, but Jacksonville could be a great landing spot for him. Hey, at least it wouldn't be Philly or Dallas.
New Orleans Saints RBs coach Joel Thomas could replace Jeff Nixon for the Giants
In other staff news for Daboll, he also needs to find a new running backs coach to replace Jeff Nixon, who is joining the Syracuse staff as new offensive coordinator. After bringing in Carmen Bricillo from the Raiders to coach the offensive line, Daboll is now looking to poach someone from New Orleans:
#Saints RBs coach Joel Thomas is interviewing today for the vacant #Giants RB coach job, source said. New Orleans gave permission for the interview, not wanting to hold a coach back.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2024
Former NYG RBs coach Jeff Nixon left for Syracuse.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Giants interviewed Saints RBs coach Joel Thomas on Saturday afternoon. This is the first known RBs coach interview for the staff this winter. Similar to Bricillo, this is an important hire for Daboll, especially if the team is planning on bringing back Saquon Barkley. We should find out soon if Thomas gets the job or if another candidate will be brought in to meet with the G-Men.