If Wink Martindale’s exit didn’t already provide enough drama for the New York Giants, they might have to see him twice a year and within the division, too.
The Philadelphia Eagles are interested in bringing on the former Big Blue defensive coordinator to the same position just 96 miles down I-95, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. The Giants’ NFC East rivals are in the market for a new defensive coordinator after a remarkable collapse to end the 2023 season.
After starting 10-1, the Eagles lost five of their last six regular-season games before being bounced by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card.
The defense had been fledgling during that stretch, which ultimately led to the demotion of former defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, in favor of Matt Patricia. While the former New England Patriots guru couldn’t fix things in Philadelphia, Desai was shown the door over the weekend.
Martindale is on the open market after an ugly split from New York.
After weeks of speculation that his relationship with head coach Brian Daboll soured to the point of a parting of ways seemingly being inevitable, Big Blue brass expected the 60-year-old to return for the 2024 campaign at their end-of-season media availability.
However, Daboll and GM Joe Schoen decided to move on from Martindale’s top defensive assistants, which led to an expletive-laden telling-off by the defensive coordinator before storming out of team facilities. The two sides mutually agreed to part ways shortly after.
Martindale has always deployed an aggressive defense — an attack that rose to prominence during his time with the Baltimore Ravens. He helped improve a New York defense to the point of being a focal point of a surprising playoff team in the 2022 season.
This season, Martindale called blitzes on 46% of the team’s defensive snaps, which is double the number put forth by the Eagles.
If he were to get the job in Philadelphia, expect an added edge to that trademark aggression every time he returns to MetLife Stadium.
