Wink Martindale's next job may just be beginning.
The Eagles fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai on Sunday night. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.and Philadelphia has already acquired a potential replacement.
General manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have already been contacted, including the former Giants defensive coordinator. Reported by Diana Russini of The Athletic.
According to reports, the Eagles contacted former Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and others last week.
Martindale would present an interesting option for Philadelphia and would certainly add another wrinkle to the Giants-Eagles rivalry.
From a football standpoint, the Eagles could benefit from his blitz-happy style after a lackluster pass-rush performance in 2023, and Philadelphia's defense has Pro Bowl-caliber players in the secondary and line. They have a number of players on their roster and are an upgrade from what Martindale had up front. Giant.
“This team is a hard-hitting group, it starts at the top, it starts at the wink,” inside linebacker Bobby Okereke said of Martindale on locker cleaning day. “The way he coaches, the way he coaches, just the energy, the passion, the passion he puts on us, he really steers the ship.”
Martindale's tenure with the Giants ended on an ugly note, as the relationship between head coach Brian Daboll and the defensive coordinator had soured for some time, with Daboll letting go of two of Martindale's closest confidants after the season. A situation erupted.
The paper's Paul Schwartz reported that when Martindale learned the news, he cursed Daboll and stormed out of his office.
It was later reported that Martindale had resigned on January 8th, but Martindale never formally submitted his resignation, and on January 10th, the two parties “mutually agreed to part ways.” Speculation was widespread.
The team and Martindale's attorneys negotiated that Martindale could take any job offered by another team and that the Giants would not have to pay him the $3 million he is owed under his 2024 contract. .
This removes a potential hurdle in finding a new job for the 2024 season and opens the door to potential work in Philadelphia or elsewhere in the NFL.
Martindale reportedly scheduled an interview for the Jacksonville Jaguars' vacant defensive coordinator position last week.
The Eagles' decision to fire Desai isn't all that surprising after Sirianni stripped Desai of his defensive play-calling duties in the final month of the season.
In Desai's first season as the Eagles' defensive coordinator and his last six games as defensive play-caller, Philly ranked 32nd in the league in third-down defense and red zone defense.
