You just had a feeling this was going to be coming sooner rather than later. From the moment it was reported that Wink Martindale was resigning from the NY Giants as defensive coordinator, people speculated that perhaps a move to Philly could be coming soon.
With the Eagles officially firing Sean Desai over the weekend and Matt Patricia not returning either, Nick Sirianni is now in need of a new DC himself. According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Eagles reached out to Martindale recently and there's interest on both sides. Could Wink join one of NY's biggest rivals?
As expected, the Eagles fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai. (@RapSheet first)
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 22, 2024
Over the last week, both Howie Roseman & Nick Sirianni have been reaching out to available coordinators, including former Giants DC Wink Martindale and former Falcons DC Ryan Nielsen. There are more
The Eagles have interest in hiring former Giants DC Wink Martindale
No interview has been set between Martindale and the Eagles, but you've got to imagine something will get done soon. Martindale already met with the Jaguars for their DC opening, but no decision has been made.
Things could not have ended worse for Martindale with the Giants, as reports stated he was so upset with Daboll that he cursed him out while leaving his office. Soon after, he was on a flight to Florida to relax after the season had officially closed.
There had been rising tension between those two during the season and you could tell they just weren't on the same page. In addition to Martindale leaving town, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey were fired by Coach Dabes shortly after the season-finale victory over the Eagles.
Since then, a new report from Pat Leonard dropped quite the bomb on Daboll, claiming that he's created a toxic work environment and that one Giants staffer even told a coaching candidate to stay away from him. Yeah, that's not good.
However, that hasn't stopped Daboll from hiring offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo and running backs coach Joel Thomas in recent weeks. Daboll still needs a new DC, but now so do the Eagles. Unfortunately for Giants Nation, it won't be a surprise at all if Martindale is the one to take over for Sirianni's defense. If that does happen, man, the two games against Philly next year will become even more dramatic.
The NFC East looks a little more wide-open next season after Philadelphia's downturn, and you can celebrate with a guaranteed bonus win this weekend at FanDuel! Just sign up, deposit $10 or more and then bet $5 or more on either NFL Conference Championship game. You'll get $150 in bonus bets, win or lose! Sign up with FanDuel today.