According to a new report, a leader of the pack has emerged in the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator search.
Per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, Michigan defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale is viewed as the “early front-runner” to fill the Jets’ DC vacancy.
“According to multiple league sources, Glenn [Jets head coach Aaron Glenn] actually spoke with Martindale before the end of the season, and there’s a feeling that he is the early front-runner for the job,” Rosenblatt wrote.
Martindale, 62, has spent the past two seasons in Ann Arbor as Michigan’s defensive coordinator following a two-year stint as the New York Giants’ DC.
In each of his last three seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator, Martindale’s units ranked among the league’s bottom dozen defenses in DVOA.
After two years in the college ranks, the 62-year-old is looking to return to the NFL coaching space, and it appears he and the Jets have mutual interest.
While the Jets have interviewed seven other candidates for the job besides Martindale, Rosenblatt noted that additional candidates New York considered weren’t interested.
“Other candidates the Jets looked into weren’t interested in the job,” Rosenblatt later explained. “That’s what Glenn is up against as he attempts to rebuild his coaching staff, especially on the defensive side: This is not the most appealing opportunity. The biggest reason is the perception that Glenn could be on the hot seat with another bad season, and sought-after coordinators typically aren’t eager to take jobs if the head coach is a lame duck.”
For now, Martindale is the leader in the clubhouse to earn Gang Green’s defensive coordinator job, according to Rosenblatt.
