It turns out all the rumors that popped up about NY Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale turned out to be true. For a while now, there had been plenty of speculation that the veteran defensive coordinator was not happy in East Rutherford.
More specifically, the word around town was that Martindale's relationship with head man Brian Daboll was fractured and that this was likely his last season with the G-Men. According to Jordan Raanan, Martindale resigned from his post on Monday and his issues with Daboll played a pretty big role in his decision. This is a huge loss for the Giants staff:
Wink Martindale is resigning as defensive coordinator of the Giants, per source. His relationship with Brian Daboll a big part of the divorce.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) January 8, 2024
Martindale should have options elsewhere. The Giants two most recent opponents, the Rams and Eagles, spoke glowingly of his scheme.
Wink Martindale resigning as Giants defensive coordinator is terrible news
Martindale left Baltimore to join the Giants prior to the 2022 campaign and things could not have gone much better for him in Year 1 with the NFC East side. In '22, Martindale's defense was rock solid, helping the team go 9-7-1 and book their first trip to the postseason since 2016.
However, this campaign was a different story. The Giants went 6-11 and there was clearly a disconnect between Coach Dabes and Wink early on. The more the team lost, the more the frustration continued to grow among the entire coaching staff.
There have been reports of offensive coordinator Mike Kafka also being unhappy working under Daboll, so his status as OC will surely be something to monitor over the next few days. Martindale was loved by fans and Giants players, which makes this news all the more tough to accept.
With his experience, Martindale will definitely be landing some interviews sooner rather than later. Martindale has also expressed his desire to be a head coach one day, so you have to imagine that will be something he pursues as well. As for Daboll, he has a lot of work to do in putting together his staff, as Martindale, Jeff Nixon, Bobby Johnson and Thomas McGaughey are all on their way out.