Former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale interviewed in person for the Giants defensive coordinator vacancy on Sunday, a source told the Daily News.
Then the team interviewed former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks in person on Monday, per NorthJersey.com.
Two weeks ago, prior to head coach Brian Daboll’s hiring, a source told The News that Daboll intended to hire Martindale if he landed the Giants job and the DC position opened.
The Giants tried to retain Pat Graham from Joe Judge’s staff initially, but Graham wanted out after seeing Judge’s firing and the Giants’ transition up close the last few weeks.
So Graham left to become Josh McDaniels’ defensive coordinator with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Giants virtually interviewed Martindale, former Chicago Bears DC Sean Desai, former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz and Wilks in their search to replace Graham.
Now Martindale, 58, and Wilks, 52, at least, are getting up-close looks in person. Both have interviewed for Giants head coaching vacancies before.
Wilks, then the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator, interviewed in Jan. 2018 for a Giants head coaching vacancy that went to Pat Shurmur. And Martindale, a Ravens assistant since 2012, interviewed in Jan. 2020 for a head coaching vacancy that went to Judge.
Martindale flustered opposing offenses for most of the past four years as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, playing an aggressive, in-your-face scheme before his surprise firing this January.
His Baltimore defense had the sixth highest blitz rate in the league this season (31.1%). The Ravens ranked second, third and second in points allowed in his first three seasons as DC, respectively.
But they slipped to 19th this season, decimated by injuries, with one year remaining on Martindale’s contract through 2022. And the two sides reportedly couldn’t agree to a one-year contract extension through 2023.
Wilks coached in college this season, serving as Missouri’s defensive coordinator in 2021, after one year as the Cardinals’ head coach (2018) and one year as the Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator (2019).
This is the final Giants coordinator vacancy remaining. Daboll tabbed Chiefs QBs coach Mike Kafka as his offensive coordinator, and he retained Thomas McGaughey as special teams coordinator on a third straight staff.
HIRING CYCLE ENDS WITH SMITH AND ALLEN
The Houston Texans and New Orleans, meanwhile, filled the final two of nine NFL head coaching openings on Monday. Both were internal promotions. The Texans promoted Lovie Smith from associate head coach/defensive coordinator, and the Saints elevated defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
It was an open secret around the league that Allen, 49, would get the job once Sean Payton stepped away, despite New Orleans’ interview process. In Houston, it was believed the Texans wanted to hire recently retired QB Josh McCown — who is white with no NFL coaching experience — but suddenly pivoted and promoted Smith, who is Black.
Ex-Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who sued the NFL and its teams last week, was a candidate for both jobs.
BRINGING IN THE SCOTTISH HAMMER
Giants GM Joe Schoen signed two more former Buffalo Bills practice squad players to Giants reserve/future contracts on Monday: quarterback Davis Webb and punter Jamie Gillan.
Webb, 27, was the Giants’ 2017 third-round pick under GM Jerry Reese. The Giants cut him in Sept. 2018. Then he spent one year with the Jets and three with the Bills. He’s appeared in one NFL game and hasn’t yet thrown a pass.
Gillan, 24, nicknamed The Scottish Hammer, was the Cleveland Browns’ punter for most of the past three years before his December release. He promptly signed to Buffalo’s practice squad.
Schoen was the Bills’ assistant GM before the Giants hired him to run their roster. All three of his signings so far have been former Bills practice squad guys, starting with running back Antonio Williams on Jan. 27.
Source: Berkshire mont