If Wink Martindale resigns as the Giants' defensive coordinator, he will be advised to notify the Giants of his decision.
As of Tuesday night, the team had not heard from Martindale, who ran out of the building on Monday and was on a plane to his home in Florida on Tuesday morning.
What is clear is that Martindale and the Giants are over after two seasons, and there are clear signs that Martindale and head coach Brian Daboll have endured a soured relationship that can no longer continue.
Martindale is under contract and is owed $3 million through the 2024 season.
If he actually resigns from his position, he will forfeit the money.
And even if he resigns, the contract won't simply disappear.
Resigning would allow the Giants to prevent Martindale from accepting a job with another team, but it's not a situation Martindale wants to be involved in.
So his intense and emotional reaction to Daboll's firing of his most loyal confidants, outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins, and his brother Kevin, a defensive assistant, was a sign that Martindale and the Giants were on the same page. There are implications that need to be sorted out contractually before separation.
Wearing his trademark black joggers, a black sleeveless vest and a Yankees cap, Martindale was seen boarding a Sarasota-bound flight at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday morning. .
Going home two days after the season ends is not a normal move for an NFL coach.
It's time for a staff meeting and final evaluation, but Martindale no longer believes he is obligated to do so.
Daboll confirmed that Martindale and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will return in 2024 during a press conference early Monday morning, a day after ending a 6-11 season with a 27-10 win over the Eagles. I'm looking forward to it.”
This was before Daboll met Martindale, and his “expectations” were sketchy, given that Daboll knew the news he was about to deliver.
Here's what happened, according to people with knowledge of the situation inside the building.
Mr. Daboll met with Mr. Martindale on Monday and informed him of the upcoming personnel changes.
Daboll mentioned the firings of special teams coach Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.
It's no secret how close Daboll is to Johnson, and while this was a tough game for Daboll, he felt it was necessary for the team to get even better going forward.
Daboll told Martindale that he wanted him to stay, but that he was going to fire the Wilkins brothers.
Martindale brought Wilkins to the Giants from the Ravens.
Drew Wilkins is on the sidelines helping Martindale with staffing and directing traffic.
Drew Wilkins helps Martindale devise a defense.
Enraged by this news, Martindale curses Daboll, makes his point, gets up, slams the door, and leaves the building.
He informed those close to him of his intention to resign.
More than 24 hours later, the Giants had not heard back from Martindale.
Why was Daboll so insistent on eliminating Drew Wilkins, and by extension Kevin Wilkins?
There's a sense that Martindale and Drew Wilkins have carved out their own fiefdom within the coaching staff, sometimes ignoring Daboll, believing they must answer only to each other and, ultimately, ownership. It was inside the building.
Daboll is all about collaboration, but this wasn't it.
Martindale, 60, was hugely popular with the players and, although he was rarely dominant on that side of the ball, he consistently outperformed Daboll's bailiwick in attack.
That also caused friction.
When safety Xavier McKinney complained about a lack of communication between players and the defensive staff, Martindale went out of his way to add fuel to the fire instead of putting it out. This shows the difference between Martindale's style and Daboll's preference for limiting all distractions.
Martindale was an active participant in weekly news conferences, frequently praising the group, which raised some eyebrows after a series of less-than-stellar outings.
But after the 49-17 loss to Dallas in Week 10, when the Giants were on the offensive and gave up an abysmal 640 yards, he gave his defense no praise at all. It's like every game in Cowboys history.
In that game, Daboll encouraged Martindale to continue blitzing, and Martindale did so, but the results were terrible.
A few weeks later, Fox's pre-game report stated that the relationship between Daboll and Martindale was “in a bad place”.
Daboll publicly dismissed the reports and presented Martindale with the game ball after a 10-7 win over the Patriots.
Mr Daboll personally confronted Mr Martindale twice about the report, but no explanation was given.
Daboll attended a defensive staff meeting and announced, mentioning the report, that if anyone had a problem with him, they should speak up.
No one spoke up.
The Giants will be on the market for new talent to man their defense.
Martindale left Baltimore due to disagreements with head coach John Harbaugh.
The same thing happened with Daboll and the Giants.
