Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale out in major Giants shakeup

May 2024 · 5 minute read

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Heads have rolled.

A team cannot endure a season the Giants just completed without changes being made, and coach Brian Daboll wasted no time in making several of them.

The biggest head to get chopped was that of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who is said to have resigned Monday afternoon after a series of moves by Daboll that made it crystal clear that the tension between the two was real and ultimately untenable.

That Martindale will not return for a third season is not shocking, but the way this parting went down was a bit unsavory.

Daboll said in the morning that his “expectation’’ was that Martindale and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka would be back in 2024 — both are under contract for one more year — as Daboll announced the firings of special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.

And then, in the afternoon, Daboll fired outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins, a close Martindale confidant, and his younger brother, Kevin Wilkins, a defensive assistant.

It was Martindale who brought the Wilkins brothers to the Giants.

All three previously worked together with the Ravens.

Drew Wilkins had basically been Martindale’s right-hand man the past two years.

Wink Martindale has resigned as defensive coordinator of the Giants. Getty Images

This was not going to fly with Martindale, and after what likely was a terse conversation with Daboll, he decided to resign.

Strangely, though, as of Monday night the Giants still had not been given official word by Martindale he was leaving.

It was an odd and unbecoming day for the Giants, to be sure.

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These are the reverberations after the Giants went 6-11, amid friction between Daboll and Martindale that led to speculation weeks ago that Daboll might make drastic changes to the upper tier of his staff.

“My expectation is Wink and Kafka will both be back,’’ Daboll said at his end-of-season press conference, sitting alongside general manager Joe Schoen. “But there’s still conversations that are gonna be had.’’

Those conversations did not go well after Daboll rid the defensive staff of Martindale’s two trusted assistants.

Brian Daboll will be in the market for two coordinators this offseason with Wink Martindale resigning. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

It is no secret Martindale, 60, was not thrilled with Daboll’s hard-edged approach with his assistants.

Daboll did not appreciate Martindale going public with his disapproval when safety Xavier McKinney complained about the communication with the defensive staff.

There is a thought that Daboll at times this season wanted Martindale to pull back on his all-out pressure packages, especially when the defensive backfield was short-handed, as it was in Week 10, when the Giants allowed 640 total yards in a 49-17 loss in Dallas.

Lack of adjustments, and Martindale operating outside of the head coach, was cited as a reason why Martindale and John Harbaugh parted ways after four years together with Martindale as the Ravens’ coordinator. These issues led to Martindale’s departure from the Giants.

Daboll used Martindale’s own words against him when he said “I know Wink talks about this as a destination place and things like that,’’ seemingly putting the heat on Martindale, who has called the Giants a destination job. But now he is headed to a different destination.

It was a mixed bag this season on defense for Martindale’s unit. The stats were nothing special — 26th in scoring defense (23.9 points a game), 27th in total yards (361.7), 19th in passing yards (229.3) and 29th in rushing yards (132.4).

Despite heavy blitzing, the Giants totaled only 34 sacks, 29th in the league. A late flurry allowed the Giants to finish tied with the Ravens with an NFL-high 31 takeaways.

News of Martindale’s exit will hit the players hard. Inside linebacker Bobby Okereke following Sunday’s 27-10 season-ending victory over the Eagles told The Post, “It would be very tough — I don’t think I have the mind to think about that right now,’’ when asked about possibly losing Martindale.

A day later, hearing that Daboll’s expectation was that Martindale would be back — before the news of the resignation — Okereke was relieved.

“Wink’s been extremely instrumental in my growth as a player, my acclimation coming here as a free agent,’’ Okereke said. “He’s just an incredible leader of men, he’s an elite football coach and I feel very fortunate to be coached by him and I hope I continue to be coached by him for the near future.’’

That will not happen.

The only possible hiccup with Kafka, 36, could be if Daboll intends to assume the play-calling duties. Daboll said that is a conversation for down the road.

Martindale was reportedly not enamored with Daboll’s hard-edged approach. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Johnson was brought in by Daboll last season after the two spent three years together in Buffalo.

The state of the offensive line deteriorated this past season. The Giants gave up an NFL-high 85 sacks, amid frequent shuffling of the lineup and quarterback upheaval. The lack of development of right tackle Evan Neal in his second season also did not help Johnson’s case.

McGaughey has been a mainstay with the Giants, first as an assistant special teams coach from 2007-2010 and, since 2018, as the coordinator, working for Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge and retained by Daboll.

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